Scars Can Be Beautiful Too
by MangaandMusic
Summary: For Grimmjow, popularity and appearances were essential for surviving high school. However, after an incident that has made him think that he's 'ugly', can he learn that popularity and appearances aren't all that, and find true love before it's too late?
1. What You See Is What You Get

Hey. First of all (I know its incredibly belated but) Happy New Year! Second, I spent nearly two months writing, editing and finalising this little gem so I hope you like it. It's my longest GrimmIchi ever written (I highly doubt that I'll write something this long again, but it's been great fun to write), and third, I'm preparing to go off to university soon, so writing fanfiction for me is definitely going to be on the back-burner, so I apologise in advance if my fanfics get few and far between (I don't know what I'm gonna do when I do go off to university - I'll work it out when the time comes, but more than likely, I'll be on an indefinite hiatus). I got inspired by the trailer for Beastly, and although I haven't seen the film, I thought I'd try and write something a bit similar. Yaoi, so if you don't like, please don't flame/comment etc. Please review/like/favourite/follow and all that jazz. I accept constructive criticisms so if I have forgotten to mention something that could be considered to be a plot hole, leave a message. If you also have an idea of ways that I can improve my writing, a message saying how would also be greatly appreciated. With that being said, sit back, relax, enjoy and let's get the show on the road.

I had intended for this fanfic to be rated M, but I couldn't fit a sex scene in (I find them a challenge to write, not to mention awkward), so I do apologise to those who were looking for a sex scene (it's not going to happen this time around). (I also wanted to a change of pace)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, any of its characters or the film Beastly.**

**Scars Can Be Beautiful Too**

**Chapter 1 – What You See Is What You Get**

Sometimes, things in Life don't go to plan. People often say you were either dealt a lucky hand or you deal with what you've been given. For me, things in Life did go according to plan, and nine times out of ten, I had been blissfully ignorant of how lucky I had been. I'm not one of these people who liked to pretend to be a saint, a martyr, although I may have acted like one the majority of the time, but I'm not someone who pretends to be a sinner either. I'm human, and I know that possibly better than anyone, despite acting like an inconceivable jack-ass every single day of my first and second years of high-school, and a good two-thirds of my third year for that matter. Or, at least, I thought I did. I always believed that I knew myself better than anyone else that either stood near me, associated themselves with me or even dared to look at me with disdain or any look for that matter. I was an idiot. I didn't realise it that so many people had their fair share of problems, just like I did, and yet, I made fun of them for it. I gave them another problem to add to their collection, and some people who looked to be about my age had a lot more problems, a lot worse problems, than I had; some kids were just destined to be dealt with unlucky hands for the rest of their lives.

"Hey, check it out. There's Grimmjow" I heard a girl nearby speak to her friend as I took my seat in the nearly-vacant classroom. I grinned as I looked around the room. There had been a couple of people; most of them either spoke to their friends whilst a few sat at their desks preoccupied with something else. Except for one boy. A boy with unruly orange hair that seemed to spike out at every possible angle in a natural but irritating way. I watched from a safe distance as the boy took his seat and scowled to himself as he looked out of the window with a bored look in his eyes, or from the poor reflection of his eyes that the window had offered me with. From what other people had told me about the boy, he stood at about 5'7, had a tanned complexion and mostly kept himself to himself, unless he was spoken to by either the teachers or the very small group that associated themselves with the boy. His name escaped me; it wasn't that I was terrible with names, but if I didn't care for someone, I didn't bother with learning their names. I didn't care for him then, but I didn't realise that one day, he would matter more to me than anyone that I had known beforehand.

"Seriously? The one with the blue hair? What about him?" the girl's friend replied. She had sounded confused from what it sounded like to me, but right there and then; I didn't give a damn about who they were or what they wanted. I sighed before I looked at the pair of them and offered a coy smirk. I watched as both girls blushed lightly before they offered a small wave to me. I watched as the first girl, a girl with brown hair that was cut in a boyish manner walked over to me whilst her friend, a girl with jet-black hair that was styled in two bunches, followed her hesitantly at first. "Didn't you say that you liked...?" the first girl asked her friend as the pair of them arrived nearby. Her friend quickly silenced the first girl with her hand across her mouth as the tint of blush grew vivid in colour.

"To what do I owe you girls the pleasure of your company on this fine morning?" I smirked coyly as the pair of them smiled as sweetly as they could.

"You don't owe us anything, Grimmjow. We're just incredibly lucky to be talking to you right now. Everyone says that you're the most popular boy at school" the first girl spoke as she rocked gently on the balls of her feet. I watched as she tried desperately to straighten her clothing out so that it made her look more attractive; she was attractive but I wasn't interested. Her friend just blushed and nodded as her friend talked with what sounded like a combination of Confidence and Hesitation. For a moment, it looked like she was almost scared of me. I didn't care if that was the case. I taught and told myself not to physically hurt girls from an early age, and so far, I had never hit a girl in my life. For some unexplainable reason, girls wanted to be with me and guys wanted to be me, and I thrived on the attention that was directed at me. It made me feel invincible, almost to a point where I became better than everyone else around me. Heck, I would even go as far as to say that I was better than everyone else.

"Really? What makes you say that? I would have thought that a beautiful girl such as yourself would have all the boys wanting your attention" I smirked to her. She blushed, as if it was on cue for her to blush. I turned to look at her friend. "The same goes for you" I smirked. She too blushed. _How desperate could you get? Can't you tell that I'm not interested in girls like you? Sure, I may be the most popular boy at school, but it's not an excuse for you to be willing enough to spread your legs for me. But, I do love the attention that I'm getting from the pair of you right now_, I thought to myself quietly. My attention diverted to the door when I watched as a boy that I knew all too well walked into the classroom. His pale complexion, piercing green eyes and stoic personality made a fair amount of girls flock to him, but he was my friend so I never felt like I needed to try and win a bunch of stupid, naive girls over, just for the sake of becoming even more popular than necessary. I watched as the boy walked over to me. He didn't say anything at first, but he looked at me blankly. He always did. The boy that stood near me had always been hard to decipher, but the way he looked at some of the girls was in a soft way, as if he didn't want to give them the cold shoulder, or to hurt them in any way. I knew that he wasn't much of a talker, but he made it his business to tell me when I had crossed a line, and that had been on more than one occasion.

"Good morning, ladies. Grimmjow" the boy said in an almost emotionless way, but his eyes made him look very much alive, especially when he looked at the two girls that were nearby.

"Good morning, Ulquiorra" the two girls smiled softly in unison before they made their way to another part of the room. I smirked. Unlike the smirk that I had given to the two girls, this one had a different feeling to it, almost to the point where I had an ulterior motive, despite the fact that I didn't have one.

"Why won't you tell them that you're not interested? You're leading a lot of girls on if you keep this act up, and I'm sure that if you want to remain to be the most popular boy at this pathetic excuse of a school, then wouldn't it be best if you tell them directly?" Ulquiorra spoke, his jet-black hair made it look like he had just woken out of bed but the sincerity in his eyes was something that over the years, I had grown accustomed to.

"They want me, so I play along with them. I couldn't give a damn about them if I tried, but I pretend I do for the sake of being liked by them" I sighed. There was no hint of emotion other than pure boredom within in my voice, and the way I looked at Ulquiorra only enforced what I had said. He simply shook his head once.

"You're acting like a little kid again. You're seventeen for crying out loud, yet you act like a five-year-old. You have everything going for you, you have a reputation of being the most popular boy in school, not to mention the most talked about Lothario around, so why not come clean to them and tell them that you're not interested?" Ulquiorra asked, his voice sounded dangerously low compared to how he had sounded before. I just smirked. "You're only going to get hurt in the end" Ulquiorra spoke and took his seat beside where I sat. I turned to face the window.

"Yeah, right. Like I'd ever get hurt by someone" I mumbled under my breath as the remaining students took their seats as the teacher waltzed somewhat happily into the classroom.


	2. The Name That Flew Under The Radar

**Second chapter is up. I realise it's short, but in my opinion, sometimes short and sweet can be better than long and lengthy. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2 – The Name That Flew Under The Radar**

As soon as the class was over, I sighed happily and leant back in my chair. I heard Ulquiorra scoff quietly, but I chose to ignore it. I closed my eyes briefly but I listened intently as several people started to converse with one another, whilst others would hum quiet, merry tunes to themselves. I could have sworn that at one point, Ulquiorra had resorted to drumming his fingers gently against the small, wooden desk in front of him.

"Hey, Grimmjow. Just the guy I've been looking for" a familiar voice rang loudly. It sounded close, as if the voice was nearby. I opened one of my eyes and looked at the boy who stood with an impish grin spread across his face. His red hair was pulled back in a manly ponytail, but the sheer colour of it looked obnoxiously bright. Then again, I couldn't say much about my own hair colour. The boy was tall, about 6'2 or so, and his dark brown eyes seemed bright and alive.

"Well, I've been here the whole time. Did you need something, Renji?" I asked and pushed myself away from the back of the chair away from me, as if it had just insulted my pride.

"Not really. Just wanted to see if you had heard the latest news" the boy who was recognised as Renji smiled. I looked at him, confused. _How did this idiot know about the latest gossip that must have included me somewhere in the middle of it before I even knew what the hell had happened? _I quickly asked myself. "They say that despite sleeping with at least half of the school's female population, you have never told any of them that you love them. What's up with that? Isn't there anyone you at least remotely interested in? I couldn't help but think back to what Ulquiorra had asked me over an hour ago. _Why not come clean to them and tell them that you're not interested? What was this idiot's angle? Did he want to throw a punch at my pride? At my ego? Please, I'd like to see him try. He's welcome to try, but it's not gonna do him any good, _I quickly told myself as I tried to compose myself.

"So? No big deal, right? I sleep with them because they're desperate enough to want me to sleep with them. I just give them what they want. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides, I'm not..." I trailed off, my mind had instantly flashed back to the boy from earlier, the one with the orange hair. "...I'm not interested in being with them in the way" I caught myself. Renji raised an eyebrow and even Ulquiorra had turned to face me, his usual blank expression had contorted into a combination of disbelief and normalcy.

"Sure, whatever you say. Listen, a group of us are having a party on the weekend. You should come. It'll be fun" Renji smiled, his impish grin had found its way back onto his face.

"I'll think about it, but if I do come, you only have yourself to blame if I leave early with that childhood friend of yours" I spoke almost casually. My words must have hit a nerve because before I knew it, I felt a hand clasp a firm hold of my shirt and pull me into a standing position. I quickly glanced around to see that everyone who had remained in the classroom had suddenly turned their attention to where Ulquiorra, Renji and I were.

"Leave Rukia out of this, alright? She's mine, got it? Don't even come near her" Renji growled, his voice sounded threatening and dangerous. The look in his eyes matched the tone of voice that had lurked in his words. I looked over to Ulquiorra, who sighed and had left my side. I soon found him talking to a girl. I knew that the girl he was currently speaking to just happened to be a friend of the boy that had piqued my interest. Her long, orange hair made her look attractive and with a body like hers', she could have easily wanted any guy that she laid her eyes on. I turned my attention back to Renji, whose grip on my shirt had only tightened. I smirked once.

"You know, now that you mention it, your childhood friend is pretty cute. Maybe I'll befriend her, pretend to be into her and then sleep with her? I should be able to get in her pants within a month if I play it right" I said complacently. I had expected Renji to punch me, but I didn't count on the fact that someone's voice had rung through the room at that point, and it wasn't Ulquiorra's voice either.

"Let it go, Renji. The idiot's not worth the time" the voice spoke. It annoyed me a little, but what had definitely surprised me was the fact that the boy with the orange hair, the very same boy that had piqued a small interest somewhere deep down in the depths of my mind, had approached the area. I felt one of my eyebrows twitch in annoyance. Part of me wanted to just walk away and play it off as the bigger person, the more popular person, but another part of me wanted to see how far the boy would go.

"What was that you just said, carrot-top?" I asked. The boy just smirked; it reminded me of the one that I had flashed to Ulquiorra, only this time, it seemed to be a lot more dangerous than the one that I had given to Ulquiorra.

"Didn't you hear me the first time? And here I thought you would be able to recognise the word 'idiot' when you heard it. Guess it takes an idiot to miss that" the boy said in a bored tone of voice. _Who the hell does this guy think he is? Shouldn't the idiot be overjoyed to have this much attention from me, so why does he look at me like that? Sure, he's piqued an interest in me, but so what? It's not like the first person that has managed to interest me. But God, his voice, its sweeter. Sweeter, no, richer than any girl's voice I've heard, at least, when they're calling my name during sex. I wonder what his voice would sound like during...wait, what am I thinking? I'm not interested in him in that way. There's just no way. No way, no how, not gonna happen_, I quickly told myself. I didn't think it was possible for me to go from being annoyed to keen in a matter of seconds. I watched with a confused look clearly displayed on my face as the boy then diverted his attention to Renji. "Let go" he simply said to Renji. I watched as Renji remained unfazed for a second or two before he let go of me, moved away, turned on his heel and headed for the door. I was surprised to see the boy who had piqued an interest in me remain in his place before he too turned on the balls of his feet and headed for the door, only to be stopped by Ulquiorra and the girl he had spoken to. Everyone else that had watched what had just happened tried to look busy; I remained on the pair of my feet for a minute, lost in thought.

"What in the world did you think taunting Mr. Abarai like that would achieve? You already know what's he like, but then you had to go and put Miss. Kuchiki in the middle of that mess. What were you thinking, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked as soon as everything had died down. I could feel myself getting annoyed at the tone of voice Ulquiorra had just spoken to me in; it sounded as if he was lecturing me. I hated it, but aside from the teachers and my dad, he was the only other person who was allowed to talk to me like that. That didn't mean I had to like it and sometimes I hadn't even bothered to listen when he did.

"Spare me the lecture, Ulquiorra. Who the hell did that kid think he was, speaking to me like that?" I snapped and glared at Ulquiorra. His stoic expression remained just that. Stoic. "Sorry" I quickly apologised. Ulquiorra nodded. It was his way of telling me that it was okay, and that he wasn't offended.

"Like I said, you already know what Mr. Abarai can be like" Ulquiorra stated.

"Not him. I meant the boy with the orange hair. Who the hell does that kid think he is?" I quickly asked.

"Oh, you mean Mr. Kurosaki?" Ulquiorra responded, his face appeared to have a sense of realisation spread across it.

"That's his name? Kurosaki?" I quickly asked and looked at Ulquiorra in bewilderment. The name had sounded familiar, but so much so that in the end, it flew under my radar. Ulquiorra turned to face me; the expression on his face was one of complete disbelief as to how blasé I had been, and as to how surprised I was. He nodded.

"Yes, that's the boy's name. Why do you ask?" Ulquiorra asked and raised an eyebrow as he looked over at me. I had to think of a decent reason as to why I would ask about someone who didn't matter that much to me. In the end, I couldn't come up with one.

"No reason" I lamely said and quickly headed for the classroom door.


	3. Popularity is Key

**I really wanted to bring Nel (Nelliel) into this particular fanfic. In my opinion, she's a strong, fun character and although I paired her up with Nnoitora for this fanfic (I don't really like him that much), it seemed to work out alright. So, for the NnoiNel lovers out there, this chapter's for you!**

**Chapter 3 – Popularity is Key**

I wandered rather aimlessly around the school grounds for what felt like a good hour or so, but it couldn't have been any longer than a couple of minutes. In that short amount of time, the amount of students, both male and female, that had practically flocked to me and had bothered to give me attention, had been a lot. Guys wanted to talk to me about the hot girls in school and the sports games that they had seen me participate in whenever the school offered them, and nine times out of ten, I was either greeted with high-fives or fist bumps. Girls, on the other hand, either came up to me and complimented me on my appearance, or had to tried to hug me in a way that they thought would make me want them. I knew I was good-looking, even hot, according to some of the girls, but to hear them say it, it was always a good and worthwhile ego boost. I couldn't remember what their names were, or whether or not the students were in my class, and year for that matter, or not. Either way, I enjoyed the attention that I was given.

"Hey, Grimmjow. It's been a while, hasn't it?" a familiar voice rang from behind me before I felt a body crash into mine. At first, all I could see was a pair of arms wrap themselves around my waist, in an almost-amorous way. I glanced over my shoulder, and smiled when I took in the sight of the stunning girl that was only mere inches away from me. Her long, sea-green hair cascaded down past her shoulders and the tips of the wavy hair just reached the bottom of her back. She looked up so that our eyes could meet; her brown eyes looked almost dull in colour, but happy at the same time. When I first met the girl, I had thought she looked stunning; after all, she was easily one of the most beautiful girls at school, and that opinion of mine hadn't changed of her. Her figure was slender, and she had curves in all the right places. She was easily one of the most sought after girls in school, along with her close friends Harribel, Rangiku and Yoruichi. There was just something about this girl that made her look indescribably attractive, and whether that was down to the fact that her school uniform made her look sinfully innocent, what with her grey skirt emphasising her slender legs that seemed to go on forever, or because of the fact that she was incredibly carefree, I couldn't tell. What I did know for definite though, was the fact that she was in one of those on-again, off-again relationships, meaning if she had just broken up with her scumbag of a boyfriend, I would play the rebound guy. I had done in the past, but as of recently, I hadn't been given the opportunity to play that card.

"Yeah, it has been a while, Nelliel. How have you been?" I asked. I watched as the attractive girl slowly let her arms slide away from my body before her arms crossed themselves just below her chest, as if the action was deliberate for accentuating the size of her chest. I didn't mind, but the fact that she was with her boyfriend as of recently meant that I was forced to play the 'we're just friends' card. I didn't mind, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

"Pretty good, thanks. A little birdie told me that when you sleep with women, you never tell them that you love them. Is that just so you can cover your tracks, or is it because you haven't met 'The One?' yet?" she asked, her eyes glimmered with hope. _I'm not saying 'I love you' to you when you're with that bastard, regardless of how many times I've slept with you. It doesn't matter whether it was out of spite or sympathy, I'm not saying it_, I thought coldly to myself. I said nothing as my mind flashed to the countless times that I had slept with Nelliel. I fought back the urge to smile as my mind recalled the moments when she had either be submissive to me when it had purely been out of sympathy, or to when she had been in control when it had been out of spite. "Grimmjow? Is something wrong?" For Nelliel to ask about how I was feeling just then, it felt weird, and for her to ask that question in the voice that she had spoken in, which happened to be a soft, concerned voice, I must have had a pained look on my face.

"It's nothing. I'm fine" I lied convincingly before the gears in my mind started to turn. "Although, there is something that you could do for me" I spoke before I grabbed a hold of her wrist and pulled her close to me. Her wrist felt small but slender against my fingers, and as I briefly let go of her, only then to press her close to my body, I felt her body stiffen slightly against my own.

"And what might that be? If you want me tonight, I can't. Nnoitora's coming over later and I..." I heard Nelliel begin to say. I knew that she was joking, but to me, it sounded like a cry for help, a real one for that matter. I had wanted to kiss her and tell her that she was wrong, but as I felt her close to me, it was evident as to what she wanted me to do. It had sounded like she wanted me to sweep her off of her feet and then spend all of the night pleasuring her until the pair of us collapsed from sheer exhaustion, but something was off. The young woman that I knew was nothing like the little girl that stood so close to me.

"Let me ask you this. Do you think it's fair on you to wait for a guy like that when you know as well as I do that he's been seeing and fucking other girls behind your back? Because to me, that's not fair at all. Not for you, at least. You don't deserve it" I began and wrapped my arms around her body. Her body felt sinfully good against my own but she felt stiff, almost artificial. It wasn't anything like the relaxed but equally sensitive body that I had felt on more than one occasion.

"You're lying" she spat, almost venomously. "Nnoitora's not like that... he would never..." she began and tried to pull away from me. The look in her eyes was poisonous, but beneath that poisonous glare, I could see a fragile girl, crying her eyes, and quite possibly, her heart, out. The truth hurt; I didn't know just how much it would hurt until I got hurt. I looked at her with bored eyes. There was no hint of sympathy or understanding; all I felt for her was complete boredom. She didn't bore me, but the fact that her boyfriend was a cheating scumbag pissed me off, despite the amount of times she had taken him back. I had slept with women, single or taken, since the second year of my middle school days, but in my defence, I had been single, so in my opinion, that didn't make me a scumbag. I watched as Nelliel's beautiful brown eyes started to glass over with tears, and I watched as a few of them escaped down her cheeks. All I could do was pull her closer to me than I had done beforehand, and offer her some sort of support. "You...you're..." she began before she broke down. I felt her arms rise past my shoulders, and I loosened my grip on her just so that her arms could pass the sides of my neck and head before I held her close to me again. I could tell that her hands at this point were outstretched, as if she was desperately trying to cling onto the air that lingered behind me. I knew that I was playing the 'I'm-here-for-you' card, and I knew that it was more for my benefit than her's. It was all for the sake of my popularity; popularity is key in order to be wanted and admired by others. Her tears were enough to leave some sort of feeling in my chest, but it definitely wasn't sympathy. Not by a long shot. I felt my chest constrict a little, or maybe, somewhere in my mind, I had forced myself to believe that my chest had constricted a little at the sight of one of the most beautiful girls at school break down in hysteria.

"I'm sorry" I simply spoke. I tried to make my voice sound reassuring, but it just seemed bored to me. I knew that no matter how many times I had seen Nelliel break down, I knew that I would never change, and I didn't plan on changing for anyone. Sure, she was a friend of mine, and I had slept with her in the past, but there was no sense of attraction that I had felt towards the woman before me. I knew that I would never change, but it wasn't until someone, someone completely unexpected, would change me for the worst. Or so I thought at the time.


	4. The Name And The Carnation

**Fourth chapter is up! Enjoy**

**Chapter 4 – The Number And The Carnation**

Less than twenty-four hours and as I walked into the school grounds the next morning, the amount of attention that I received from students as they jogged up to me felt amazing, so much so that I found it uncharacteristically hard for me to keep a composed look on my face. I smirked as the male students, either in my year or in the years below, greeted me and asked about whether or not I was going to participate in the next Sports games that were due to take place soon. It was common knowledge that when it came down to Soccer and Basketball, I was at the level of a professional, despite only being seventeen. Some people even thought that I was above the level of a profession, and I smirked, knowing full-well that I always loved having an ego boost. As for the girls, I had at least three girls come up to me and confess their feelings for me. It felt good to be in the centre of their world, but no matter how many people conversed with me, the small lingering feeling of interest towards Kurosaki that I had had, had been enough to make me temporarily forget about the people that were lucky enough to stand in my presence. I watched from where I stood as Kurosaki walked into the school grounds, shortly followed by a couple of what looked to be his friends. _I don't understand. Why do I feel even the slightest bit interested in the guy? I don't swing that way, right? What's so special about him anyway? What even made him think that he could stand on equal ground as me like he did yesterday? It doesn't make sense. Oh well, it's not like he's popular or anything, so it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter_, I quickly told myself as I continued to walk into the school grounds.

It was when I finally got to class that I saw Ulquiorra. Usually, we would walk to school together but now and then, he would prefer to walk the short distance from his apartment to the school grounds. I didn't particularly care either way. I watched subtlely as he conversed lightly with the same orange-haired girl that he had spoken to yesterday. She smiled in what looked to be a cheerful manner and I couldn't help but notice that the corners of his lips cracked a little, as if he was resisting the urge to smile at what the girl had just said. I watched as the girl awkwardly shifted her weight from one foot to another, but it was Ulquiorra's comment that had caused her to blush feverently. I shook my head and continued to walk to my seat. It didn't take a genius to work out the fact that the girl had a crush on him. The rest of the day passed by at a fast pace, and before I knew it, the first two classes of the day had been and gone. I quickly dropped the pen down onto the wooden desk that was sat casually mere inches away from me; the pen landed in the middle of an open textbook, and near it lay half a page filled with notes that was accompanied by the odd doodle or two.

"You look pretty content there, Grimmjow" Ulquiorra's voice rang expressionlessly through the room at that point. I smirked and stretched my arms before I allowed them for one to cross over the other behind my head. I caught sight of Ulquiorra's pen slipping out of his grasp, only for it to bounce once or twice before it finally landed on the wooden desk in front of his body.

"I am content. I'm popular, so that means I'm content" I scoffed lightly and turned my gaze so that I could get a better look at him.

"Don't you think you're starting to get a swelled head?" he sharply asked. Again, I scoffed at that. Ulquiorra sighed. "Alright, let me put it a different way. Don't you think that you're a little lonely?" he asked after he cleared his throat once.

"Lonely?" I responded. I had to think about it for a moment. I smirked. "Nope, don't know the meaning of the word" I said casually and moved into a more comfortable position. I looked around the room and saw several groups of friends conversed with one another, some laughed whilst some complained lightly. At that point, I stood up and headed for the door. My mind wasn't really focused on anything at that certain point, but as I opened the door, I was surprised to see a petite girl with short, black hair stand in front of me. Her large, purple eyes stood out against her dark hair and pale complexion, and I was surprised to see that there was such a large height difference between the pair of us. The look in her eyes told me that she wasn't going to back down from anything, that she was a fighter.

"Are you going to move, or do I have to move you out of my way?" she spat at me. Her voice sounded venomous, as if she hated me with a passion. I had been used to girls playing this angle. There had been girls who acted sweet and innocent, whilst other girls acted tough but had a feminine side to them that was desperate to escape. She seemed to fall into that category.

"Nope, but you can come with me. I'll make it worth your time" I smirked coyly to her. It seemed like a vein had popped on her forehead because at that point, she glared at me coldly. I had come across girls who would sometimes glare at me, but never before had I seen a girl glare at me as malicious as this girl before me did. It was certainly a surprise.

"No thanks. I don't feel in the mood to want to catch anything from you. Besides, I'm already interested in someone else" the girl sarcastically spoke. I resisted the urge to smirk but I could feel a small wave of anger start to come over me, and I knew that if this girl didn't move anytime soon, I would have made her move in one way or another.

"Aww, come on, don't be like that. Who knows? You might even like it" I had tried to make it sound persuasive. I watched as she desperately tried to fight the tint of blush that had crept up her cheeks, and I watched her intently as she quickly glanced to her left, then to her right. I had figured that everyone would be watching; she was, after all, the first girl that had dared to even argue back at me. She hesitated for a moment, as if she thought that speaking to me like this was embarrassing her. "Well, what's it gonna be?" I asked and leant in closer to her. She jumped a little at the close proximity that the pair of us shared at this point before she glared at me again. I sighed once. _If she wasn't going to ask for my body now, then I'll just have to make her scream for me to take control_, I thought. I grabbed a hold of her wrist, and just like Nelliel's, her wrist felt slender against my fingers.

"Hey, let me go. I don't want to. Let go, you jerk" the girl complained and tried to pry her wrist free of my grip with her free hand. It didn't work and the more she tried, the more I slowly tightened my hold on her. It didn't matter to me whether the passing students who were either coming in the opposite direction as I was, or were heading in the same direction as I was, saw this as a violation of the girls' basic human rights or not. I had thought about finding an empty janitor's closet and doing it in there with her, but decided against it for some reason. I think the only reason as to why I didn't decide to go with that option was because the girl tried desperately to pry my fingers off of her slender wrist. In the end, the pair of us had managed to get to a part of the school which looked to be fairly secluded. I spun her around, so that the nearest building wall came into contact with her back. She winced a little at the impact. I mentally kicked myself for causing some form of harm to her petite frame. I pressed the palms of my hands firmly against the wall over her shoulders, encasing her in a makeshift bird cage. "What's the big idea?" the girl snapped, the look in her eyes was nothing more than Defiance.

"I don't get it. You're a girl, but you don't make it a secret that you don't want me. I mean, girls like you would try every trick in the book to get me to even look in their direction. What are you after? What's your angle? Everyone loves me" I spoke smugly, as if it was the truth. I would have even gone as far as to say that it was the truth. The girl looked at me with a shocked look on her face; it looked undeniably innocent. At that point, the girl grabbed a hold of one of my wrists and pulled it away from her, as if I disgusted her. I felt her then kick me once in the shin. I was surprised to know that despite her short stature, she sure packed a punch.

"I'm not like the girls you sleep with for one, and you wouldn't know love if it bit you on the butt, you inconceivable asshole" the girl snapped at me. If I had learnt one thing at that point, it was the fact that the girl that stood before me had an incredibly short temper. I smirked regardless of what the girl had just said. Her hand still remained on my wrist, and I felt her apply more and more pressure as each adrenaline-induced moment passed. She then kicked me in the lower left abdomen; I winced. "You have until graduation to find love, or stay this way forever" she said darkly before she let go of my wrist and hurried away from me. I didn't know what she had meant by that, but in the time that it took for her to be out of sight, a faint burning sensation had started to generate from where she had just kicked me in the lower left abdomen area. At first, it didn't ache but as time passed on, the burning sensation grew more intense, almost to the point where the pain had started to become unbearable. I didn't cry out in agony; I didn't need to, but as my hand reached underneath my shirt to where my skin burned, I quickly withdrew it.

On the tips of my fingers was faint but ever-present scorch marks before droplets of fresh blood ran freely down my hand until it pooled in the form of a small tattoo on my right forearm. The fresh blood contorted into what looked to be a tattoo of a crimson-red carnation before the design pressed itself into my skin excruciatingly, as if it was real tattoo ink coming alive into human skin. There hadn't been time to think or even question what my own blood was doing at that point, but needless to say, I felt like my own body had betrayed me. I stared at my forearm for what felt like centuries, before the pain in my lower left abdomen spiked again. Unlike before, I felt the need to cry out incoherently in pain and I felt myself stagger closer to the wall of the building for support. It didn't take long for my back to come into contact with the cold, naked wall and as soon as I had managed to compose myself, even if it was just a little, and steady out my breathing whilst my heart and lungs hammered erratically against my chest, I hesitated to touch the area where the girl had kicked me. In the end, after delaying it, I slowly pressed my hand underneath my shirt to the area that had been injured. It didn't hurt, but what did make my eyes widen hysterically was when my fingers traced a familiar shape that had appeared to have been burnt into my skin. The shape was easily distinguishable, but the fact that it remained etched into my skin, along with the crimson carnation on my forearm made me feel shocked, not to mention, a little anaemic. I tried desperately to hold back the urge to throw up as my fingers repeatedly traced the figure that had appeared agonisingly onto my flesh. The figure, a large, black, gothic-styled six that stubbornly refused to peel away from my body.


	5. The Clock Starts Now

**Not much that I can say about this chapter except that I actually enjoyed writing it. I wanted to capture different sides of Grimmjow, ranging from being someone who doesn't go back on their word to being a complete jerk (I hope I managed to do it alright)**

**Chapter 5 – The Clock Starts Now**

Nothing out of the ordinary happened for the rest of the day, but now and then, I had looked at the crimson carnation design that looked to be stuck permanently to my forearm discretely. No matter how many times I looked at it and tried to rub it off of my skin, it wouldn't budge an inch and whenever I tried, it would seem to burn, as if to tell me 'I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, so get a move on'. The sheer thought of that was enough to distract me for the rest of the day. I knew that despite having girls beg me to sleep with them; I didn't love a single one. It was just simplistic lust and right there and then, lust was an easier emotion to handle than love. When I finally got home that late afternoon, I quickly hurried up the stairs of the two-bedroom apartment before my dad had even a chance to look at me, and into the bathroom. In the process, I had toed the heels off of my shoes, prying them off of my feet before allowing them to fall gracelessly onto the laminate flooring. I quickly entered the bathroom and locked the door behind me, before I did anything else. Panic instantly filled my mind at this point, and with that, I threw my school bag onto the black and white chequered-tiled floor, rolled up my shirt sleeves after I had discarded the beige school jumper and stared at the crimson carnation tattoo-like design on my forearm.

From the look of it, the carnation still remained to be a seedling and if that was any indication, it meant that the clock had just started to tick. I quickly calculated that I had until the beginning of July until I graduated high school; that meant I had just over four months to find love. Originally, I wanted to scoff at the sight of my reflection in the mirror, but I couldn't. I was, and looked like, a nervous wreck. As I looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I couldn't help but think about how the hell I was going to get by. I scoffed, and with that, I left the bathroom. The next morning was a nightmare. I had woken up at the crack of dawn, just like I usually did, but as I slipped out of the sheets of the bed to grab a pair of dark blue jogging bottoms, something caught the corner of my eye. I froze, paralysed in place. From what I had seen out of the corner of my eye, I deemed my reflection to be 'ugly'. I turned to look square at my reflection in the mirror; the sight of it repulsed me. No naturally defiant blue hair sat on my head, in fact, no hair in terms of wispy eyebrows remained on my face, and what looked to be a hideous scar that could have only come from either a car accident or a knife blade injury ran from above where my right eyebrow had been all the way down to the middle of my cheek. There was also one or two minute scars that looked like they had just started the healing process. The sight of it all was enough for me to instinctively touch my face as my eyes widened purely in shock. Needless to say, my appearance looked grotesque.

"What the...?" I slowly began, unable to finish the sentence that threatened to drop heavily from my lips. I took the sight of my reflection in, before grabbing a plain white, short-sleeved shirt and slipped that over my head and onto my chest. I then spent the next agonising minutes staring horrified at my 'ugly' reflection in the bedroom mirror, before I found a black hoodie and slipped it on. _There's no way in Hell I'm going to school, not like this. I can't. I don't want to believe that that ugly person staring at me in the mirror is me_, I panicked. The sight of my reflection in my mirror had begun to infuriate me, and out of sheer disgust, I threw a punch at the mirror. The glass fractured, and several miniscule shards fell to the floor, just before my feet. It didn't matter if some the glass had gotten into my feet; it would have only enforced the fact that I was now 'ugly'. I returned to my bed and sat on it with a dejected sigh; my mind ran on auto-pilot. Most of my thoughts regarded the fact that I now looked 'ugly', but a small, lingering thought crossed my mind: Graduation. There was no way that I was going to graduate if I didn't go to school; I knew that. My old man had gotten my mother pregnant before she had the opportunity to live out her life. She had only been sixteen when she found out that she was pregnant with me and because of it, after she had delivered me, she hadn't kept in touch with my dad. I couldn't blame her. I knew that if I didn't graduate, I would be doing an injustice to the woman who had brought me into the world, as well as the fact that I would be doing an injustice to the man who had brought me up since Day one. For those reasons, I was determined to graduate from high school, and support myself in some shape or form.

My eyes caught sight of the alarm clock; the time shone brightly in lime-green lighting against the black background. Six forty-two, it stared back at me. I sighed exasperatedly. I didn't know what to do at first, but as soon as my mind started to work clearly, there was an option of me graduating high school on time, without having the fear of being looked down upon or ridiculed by anyone. I snatched my phone off of my bedside table and began to scroll through my contacts. My thumb hovered above a number, Ulquiorra's number, for a split second before I pressed it down. I quickly pressed the phone against my ear; my breathing instantly became harsh as the dialling tone kicked in. I didn't want to leave a message on his phone; I didn't have to. I could have smiled happily in relief when he picked up, albeit for the fact that it sounded like he had just woken up.

"Grimmjow, I swear to God that if you don't have a good enough reason as to why you just woke me up, I'll..." Ulquiorra began. _Crap_, I panicked inwardly. _Ulquiorra's not a morning person; he's always in a bad mood when he's just woken up. Great_, I cursed myself.

"Ulquiorra, I know you're in a shit mood right now, but I need your help" I quickly said. I was filled with panic. I waited for Ulquiorra to respond with a sigh, or with some smart-ass comment about how 'it couldn't have waited until we got to school'. I wanted to laugh aloud as the thought crossed my mind.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice sounded tired, like it had done, but it also sounded concerned.

"I need you to take notes for me at school today" What I had said over the phone seemed to shock Ulquiorra. I knew that he wanted to question my reasoning, but there wasn't a decent excuse that I could have come up with on the spot. I wasn't sure of what had happened to me in the space of twenty-four hours.

"Why?" The simple question that had slipped from Ulquiorra's lips was filled with concern; no hint of tiredness could have possibly lurked in his voice at that point.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Could you just take notes for me? There's been a bit of a problem" I asked. Out of anyone that I knew, aside from my old man, Ulquiorra was the one person that I trusted at this point. I couldn't show my face to my dad; I knew that he would freak out and insist that I saw a doctor. I could imagine my old man saying to the doctor that I was undergoing some form of early 'middle-life crisis'; I didn't want that to happen.

"Alright, but afterwards, I'm coming over. I want to know the truth so don't even think of doing something stupid, and don't even think about leaving the apartment. I'm better than the hounds of Hell when it comes to finding someone. You know that" Ulquiorra sighed; his words didn't sound threatening but I knew that he wasn't joking either. I forced myself to smile, even if it was just a little. "I'll let the teachers know that you have a bad case of influenza. That should buy you at least a week to figure something out" Ulquiorra informed me over the phone before I had time to respond to what he had previously said.

"Thanks" I simply responded and hung up. I knew that Ulquiorra wouldn't accept any random bullshit from me, especially when it came to excuses. At that point, I wasn't ready to show anyone what I looked like but I knew that when my old man went to work, I could escape out onto the streets for a couple of hours, and I knew that if I kept my head down low and acted as natural as physically possible at this point, I wouldn't draw attention to myself. Talk about going from polar opposites. From someone who loved the attention, only to then want to avoid all and any attention as much as possible; it didn't make sense, but I wanted it that way. I knew that Ulquiorra could cover for my absence with the influenza excuse for at least a week, but after that, it meant that I would have to be home-schooled if I wanted to even have a shred of chance in graduating high school on time. As much as Ulquiorra's notes were helpful, I knew that it was going to be difficult to persuade him to go through every single assignment for me. That meant that I would have to resort to a tutor, or I would spend extra time in going over a specific subject, and right now, at that point, the latter idea seemed more appealing than the first.

I was relieved when my old man decided to leave for work relatively early in the morning, and after half an hour of him leaving the apartment, I had quickly changed into a pair of ripped jeans, grabbed a slice of toast, brushed my teeth, slipped into a pair of trainers before leaving the apartment with my phone and keys firmly located in my back jean pocket. Despite having looked it, what with my rugged but missed exterior and all, I attended high school like any other normal student, so to have so much free time now on my hands was a bit of a surprise. For the first hour or so, I wandered around the shopping district of Karakura, lost in thought about how the hell I was going to find love, true love, before graduation. It was at that point where I realised that there was going to be no physical way of finding love, so that left me the option of begging the girl who had bestowed this 'curse' onto me to get rid of it, under the guise that I had 'learnt my lesson'. I knew that I had to beg the girl to change me back when there were a lot of people around, preferably at a under-eighteen's nightclub or something to that discrepancy. My mind flashed to when Renji had invited me to a party that he was throwing, and despite thinking that it would be a good idea to go at first, gate-crashing a party without having the host of the party having a clue as to who I was, was more than enough of a reason when the police threw me in prison for being some kind of stalker. I couldn't go with that idea, nor was I willing enough to go to school just to talk to her, let alone wait outside the school gates until school was finished for the day, just to talk to her in private.

I was left with either one of two options: Stalk the girl until she was in a secluded area with just myself but that could end very badly for me, or persuade Ulquiorra to ask Renji, who just so happened to be close friends, if not romantically involved with the girl, to go to the under-eighteen's nightclub that happened to be located around the corner from where I was currently stood, so that I could have even a shred of hope in speaking to the girl as long as there was loud music playing and a large crowd that separated Renji from the girl and I. I knew that Ulquiorra wasn't a pushover, so persuading him to do something like this for me would cost me easily an arm and a leg, but to me, right there and then, it seemed to be the safest, and quite possibly, the most fool-proof way of trying to convince the girl to undo this 'curse' that she had placed on me. At that moment, the wind picked up, and despite being the end of March, the winter air was still crisp and it chilled me to the bone as I continued to walk. I shortly returned home before it was one in the afternoon, and from then on, I remained in my room, unfazed by the significant mess of crumpled paper, scattered pens and pencils and open textbooks that littered my small desk that sat contently in between the wardrobe and the window, and parts of the floor; the gears in my mind had started to turn as a plan, if not a risky one, that I was almost positive would succeed, had started to form.


	6. The Plan

**I love writing Ulquiorra's lines - it's always fun to pretend that I'm posh (haha). I only wish that Ulquiorra didn't have to die in the anime/manga - I won't deny the fact that I cried my eyes out at that point. Long live Ulquihime (sorry, fandom feels). Moving on, enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter 6 – The Plan**

Hours had passed and when Ulquiorra finally showed up, I quickly dragged him through the house and up to my room before he could even have a chance to ask what was wrong with me. My breathing may have been erratic, and as I slammed the bedroom door back on its hinges, my hand that had clasped a firm hold of the brass doorknob refused to let go of it. Neither one of us spoke for all of a minute or two, but when I finally let go of the doorknob and turned to face Ulquiorra, he spoke. The voice that he spoke in was solemn but also filled heavily with concern.

"Would you please tell me what's wrong with you, Grimmjow. Given that display just now and the way you sounded over the phone this morning, something must have bothered you" Ulquiorra asked slowly and slipped out of his shoes. I remained silent for what felt like an eternity, the hood on my jumper still remained fixed to my head. Slowly, I brought my hands to the hood of the jumper. My heart beat was erratic and for the first time in a very long time, I felt true fear of being rejected from the one person who I could consider to be my best friend. I felt my hands shake uncontrollably as the hood slipped off of my bald head, and when the hood of my jumper revealed what I looked like, I dropped my hands down to my sides. Ulquiorra didn't speak for the longest time possible, but he didn't make any motion for the door, nor did it look like he wanted to ridicule me or kick me down when I already felt low about myself. "I see" was all he said.

"You're not disgusted by what I look like?" I slowly asked. I was scared of Ulquiorra's answer to my question. If I had learnt anything from living on the face of the world for seventeen years, it was that humans, as a whole, were an incredibly judgmental species, and it didn't stop at appearances.

"I don't have the right to judge you on what you look like" Ulquiorra simply stated. I felt relief immediately overcome my being at that point. "However, what happened?" he asked and raised an eyebrow at me. I thought about telling him the truth, but right there and then, despite having had relief surge over me like a wave, I didn't feel comfortable with telling the truth. _Maybe at a later date_, I thought to myself quietly.

"I don't know. I just woke up this morning and this happened" I said lamely. It wasn't intended to sound like a joke, but I saw the corners of Ulquiorra's mouth try to smile. I almost felt like saying 'It wasn't a joke' or 'Don't laugh, it's not funny'. When I looked at Ulquiorra soon afterwards, he simply cleared his throat.

"I see. So, what are you going to do?" Ulquiorra asked. "About school, I mean" he clarified. The question stumped me for about a minute or two.

"I'm not going to break my promise, so I'll graduate. I just don't want anyone that I know to point and laugh at me just because of the way I look" I stated as steadily as physically possible. Ulquiorra nodded once, as if to say 'I understand'. I moved away from the bedroom door and collapsed onto the bed, on my back with a heavy sigh.

"I see, but unlike you now, I don't have the free time to go through every subject that you've missed just to help you achieve your dream. Couldn't you just hire a tutor or something?" Ulquiorra asked. I shook my head. I knew that Ulquiorra wouldn't question what I thought about having to be home-schooled. I couldn't tell what Ulquiorra was thinking at that point, but I watched him as he unzipped his bag, took out a couple of pieces of paper with what looked to be notes on every subject that we were currently studying, and placed them on the already-cluttered desk. I closed my eyes for a brief moment, only to open them widely when I remembered what I was going to do about this 'curse'.

"Ulquiorra, has Renji spoken to you about the party that he was planning to have this weekend by any chance?" I asked simply. Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow.

"He mentioned something along the lines, but nothing new. He did mention though that he was planning to hire out an under-eighteen's nightclub for it" Ulquiorra answered. "Why do you ask? I thought you wouldn't want to go, just so that people can point and laugh at you" he quickly asked.

"I don't. Do you think his friend will be there?" I quickly asked. Ulquiorra looked at me blankly for a minute.

"I'm sure that Mr. Abarai has more than one friend, Grimmjow" Ulquiorra stated dryly. I scoffed.

"No shit, I meant that girl that he's always hanging out with" I clarified. A small but ever-present smile graced Ulquiorra's face.

"If you're referring to Miss Kuchiki, I would be surprised if she wasn't going. The pair of them are inseparable" Ulquiorra explained briefly before he moved closer to the bed. "What business do you have with Miss Kuchiki anyway?" he quickly asked and raised an eyebrow. I shifted from where I had collapsed on the bed into a seated position, my legs draped over the side of the bed.

"Just wondering" I answered. The idea that I had had earlier had started to form again in my mind, and from being a vague idea that any sane person would have dismissed soon after they had thought of it, it looked like possibly the only idea that I had. I smirked, mainly to myself as the small pieces of the idea had started to come together, and that weekend, the idea was going to be put into motion. I had originally wanted one thing and one thing only; that being to be freed from this 'curse'. I didn't expect to get something completely and utterly different, something that would, in short, change not only the way that I thought about myself, but also the way that I had viewed the world since the day I had been stuck with the 'curse'.


	7. The Boy

**I had a lot of fun writing this particular chapter, so enjoy!**

**Chapter 7 – The Boy**

It wasn't easy to get into the under-eighteen's nightclub without some form of invitation and as the two bouncers stared down at me, questioning who I was, a part of me desperately wanted to shy away from the unpleasant glares that seemed to burn straight through to my soul. Ulquiorra simply explained that Renji had given each of his guests the right to invite a 'plus one' guest, and as soon as this information, which was no more than a blatant lie, was out in the open, the two bouncers who stood at easily six and a half feet stepped aside with no more than a shrug of the shoulders. The sound of music blared through the walls of the nightclub, almost at a decibel that made me feel a little nauseous, and whether or not that was because of the fact that, appearance-wise, I had changed, I wasn't sure. I felt unbelievably apprehensive as I walked into the nightclub, and that much for me, was enough for the nauseating feeling to return to the pit of my stomach. The more I walked into the nightclub, even with the hood of my jacket pressed tight against my face and head, I still felt unwelcomed in amongst the large crowd of teenagers. Many teenagers were either drinking at the bar that sat towards the entrance and seemed to stretch for at least a good third of the small under-eighteen's nightclub, whilst others were on the dance floor and the occasional group or two shouted to their friends as if it were the only way of holding a decent conversation with them over the blaring music.

I slipped unnoticed through the masses of teenagers, both male and female, in the attempt to bump into the girl that had placed this 'curse' on me. I knew that part of me would have easily turned on my heel and walked away, and hopefully, live on my own for the rest of my life, but the stubborn streak in me refused to turn back and run for what might only be a couple of months maximum. I felt myself being pushed further into the small nightclub by the many teenagers that seemed to be blissfully ignorant of the fact that all I wanted to do was shy away from any attention. A feeling of irony suddenly overcame me at that point and as I pushed myself through the crowd, I felt myself reminisce of what it felt like to be popular, to be wanted and admired by so many people, known or unknown. No matter how much I wanted to scoff at myself for reminiscing at such an ironic thought, and no matter how many times the people around me bumped into me or tried to pull the hood away from my face, I refused to hurt them physically. Time and time again, I had thought about just leaving the nightclub and living on my own for the rest of my life, and right there and then, as I somehow managed to push past the happy teenagers that surrounded me, it seemed to be a tempting idea.

It was only when I felt someone come into contact with me that my mind froze, mainly in fear. When I slowly glanced over my shoulder, I felt my eyes widen. The person that had collided into me was none other than the person that I was looking for, the girl that Ulquiorra had referred to as Rukia Kuchiki. My blue eyes met her bright purple ones, and I noticed that she wore tight black jeans, a pair of four-inch pale pink heels and a revealing pink shirt. Her purple eyes, black hair and pale complexion reminded me immediately of what she had done to me.

"You..." I breathed, not having a clue as to how to approach her without making her think that I was some sort of stalker. I rolled up my jacket sleeve, just enough for the crimson carnation tattoo to on show. "I need you to get rid of this curse" I slowly began. The girl shook her head and I could tell that she wanted to get the hell away from me. She started to head slowly into the crowd, and I didn't blame her. If I was in her position and if some delusional nutcase had come up to me, asking for help, I would have turned my back on them as well. On impulse, if nothing else, I grabbed her wrist, preventing her from moving anywhere away from me. She turned to look back at me; her eyes were filled with confusion. "Please. Just make it stop already. I can't take any more of it" I pleaded. I had hoped that both my voice and look on my face was convincing enough to make the girl that stood before me.

"You've learnt nothing" the girl stated and at that point, I let go of her wrist after she had said that. She slowly moved away from me. I watched her as she took a few steps away from me. "Find someone who can overlook what you look like. Find someone who knows you better than you know yourself" the girl said, almost cryptically as she soon disappeared from my sight. Her cryptic words had me stunned, not to mention uncertain of where I would go now, or even what I would do. _Great, now what do I do? It won't be a good idea to stick around and draw any attention to me, but how the hell am I supposed to 'find someone' that could overlook what I looked like before graduation? No girl would even want to give me a chance now, and no guy in their right mind would even want to hang out with me, and there is absolutely no way in hell that Ulquiorra's gonna be 'the one'_, I thought to myself as I turned on my heel and headed for the bar. I stopped at the bar, only to collect my thoughts and plan what would be the smartest thing for me to do at this moment in time.

I looked over to where Ulquiorra had been the entire time, and I noticed that a faint smile had graced his faces, not to mention what looked to be a happy look on his face, as the orange-haired girl giggled at something which Ulquiorra must have said. He didn't notice me, and to be honest, I didn't expect him to. I had started to think that maybe Ulquiorra would turn his back on me, just like everyone else, but a small part of me refused to become depressed just because the situation looked dire. It was at that point when I felt someone watch me from a short distance away, and as I looked over my shoulder carefully, my eyes latched onto the figure that had been watching me for who knows how long. His orange hair remained vivid, even in the dark lighting, and from what I had just seen, his brown eyes looked warm, almost to the point where that warmth could have been interpreted as being understanding. I felt a small smile grace my face, and I had wanted to wave to the boy that looked at me, but he quickly looked away, as if the brief eye contact between the pair of us was awkward for him. I slowly turned around and refused to budge an inch as the people around me continued to indulge themselves in the music, the alcohol and anything else that may have been picked up from being here in the nightclub. I was surprised to see the look in the boy's eyes when he looked back at me, and I was even more surprised when he waved gently, almost sincerely. From the look of it, no-one else was nearby to where he was, and I watched, as if I was in some sort of hypnotic state, as the boy slowly walked towards me. He didn't say anything, but motioned to the bartender for two drinks before he looked back at me. I watched as the bartender, a tall, dark-haired girl with glasses who happened be scantily-clad dressed, set down two glasses filled with what looked to be a soft drink of some description. A part of me screamed at me to refuse the drink altogether, under the guise that it probably had some sort of alcohol in it, but another part of me, the confused, unsure part of me, wasn't sure what would be the best thing for me to do.

"You nervous?" the boy asked. "Don't be. It's not alcoholic" the boy reassured me with a small smile. I watched as the boy pulled out his wallet from his jacket pocket, as if to hand over a ten-pound note. The busty girl refused it, and said that Renji had covered the cost of drinks in the hire amount for the venue. The boy smiled simply, slipped the money back into his wallet and placed it back into his jacket pocket before he turned to look at me. "It's on me" the boy smiled reassuringly and picked up one of the glasses. I didn't say anything at first, and I had, at first, wanted to turn and bolt as soon as possible, but I remained in place for some strange, unexplainable reason.

"Thanks" I slowly said and picked up the glass. I stared down at the contents of the glass. Bright red, almost like blood, mixed with sunny yellows as a sprinkle of what looked to be crystallised sugar dusted the top of the drink. I took a hesitant sip of the drink, and almost gagged at how sweet it tasted. Despite being seventeen, I wasn't that much into sweets, so to have the taste of having such a sweet drink entering my system felt foreign for me.

"Are you a student? Who are you with? I haven't seen you around school before" the boy asked slowly. I looked over to the boy; the look in his eyes still had that same warmth in them now as when he had looked at me.

"Yeah. I'm a student" I slowly said. It wasn't a complete lie, but right there and then; it felt more like a lie than anything else. "I'm just not really a people person" I said, drank a little more of the drink and headed for the exit. I felt something latch onto me, as if to keep me in place, and as I looked over my shoulder, I saw that the boy had managed to grasp a hold of my wrist. He let go almost instantly afterwards.

"Sorry" I hadn't expected him to apologise, but at that point, the single word felt not so much as apologetic, but more compassionate.

"It's fine. I just... this scene...it's not for me" I stumbled on my words. I had expected the boy to say something but he didn't. He just smiled lightly, grabbed a hold of my wrist and pulled me as he left the nightclub. I had no option but to allow myself to be led out of the nightclub by the boy. For once since I had had this 'curse' placed on me, I felt something that resembled Reassurance, something that I could have easily been mistaken for as Happiness. I was surprised when the boy let go of my wrist as the sound of the music that had played loudly at the under-eighteen's nightclub became faint. The boy turned to look at me straight in the eye and smiled. Somehow, unlike the previous smiles that he had offered me, this one felt more sincere, compared to the others which were more than likely out of reassurance than anything else. It made me feel a little more accepting of the situation that I was in.

"I'm Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki" the boy said and held out his hand. I looked at it blankly at first, before I looked at the boy. _What do I say? What can I say? What can I say my name is? I can't tell him who I really am, but using the letter 'G' is too ambiguous_, I thought. I looked at the boy, who looked at me with a worried look plastered all over his face. _Crap! Now I'm stalling. Think, dammit. Think!_ Panic instantly overcame me at that point. I sighed lightly.

"Sho. Just Sho" I replied and shook his hand. I had no idea at that point just how important Ichigo would be to me, and I also had no idea that I could have easily lost him forever due to the 'curse' that I now had to live with. I wasn't sure what was worse at that point; the fact that I was going to somehow come to trust, not to mention fall in love with, the boy that stood before me, or the fact that a faint burning sensation came from where the crimson carnation tattoo was situated on my body. I could have sworn that, when I looked in the bathroom mirror when I got home that night, the tattoo of the number six had gotten a little darker in colour, going from what was originally a dark pink-red colour to more of a vermillion red that seemed to have a few tints of mahogany brown in it.

**I didn't really choose the name 'Sho' for any particular reason, aside from the fact that I needed an alibi for Grimmjow. I will say this though, Sho and Grimmjow are one of the same person, so please don't comment saying something like 'Why add an OC?' I am not against OC's but I just wanted to make that point crystal clear. **


	8. The Thought Worth Considering

**I realise that this chapter is very short compared to the ones that I have written so far, but I wanted to take time in expanding on Grimmjow's character, just a little. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8 – The Thought Worth Considering**

I couldn't sleep that night, and no matter how much of an insomniac I may have acted, my mind would force me to remain awake, unfazed by my simplistic desire to sleep. In the end, I had peeled out from underneath the sheets of the bed, slipped into a pair of ripped jeans and what looked to be a warm jacket before I opened the bedroom window. I had thought about going down the stairs like how any sane person would do, but I knew that my dad was either busy working in his small study or he would be asleep, and with having a couple of creaking steps, it wouldn't be hard for someone to be forced out of slumber. Before I left the house through the window, I grabbed my house keys and phone. Right there and then, it didn't matter where I went or how long I stayed out in the night for, but what I longed for, was some form of distraction. I craved for some form of escape from reality. I slipped out of the window and began to climb down the nearby oak tree; my mind focused on one thought and one thought in particular, that being what had happened earlier that night. The more I thought about what had happened, the more it didn't make sense to me. I had hoped that I would have convinced the girl that Ulquiorra had referred to as Rukia Kuchiki to change her mind; meeting Ichigo was something that I hadn't even considered.

As my mind ran quickly into overdrive, I walked over to where the small garage stood. It didn't take long for me to pry open the garage door and remove what looked to be a ripped, not to mention paint-splattered bed sheet from a motorcycle. I smiled serenely; the motorcycle that stood motionlessly before me used to belong to my dad but as soon as I turned fifteen, he had given it to me as a birthday present. The black and red vehicle stared back at me, as if it was longing for me to use it. I sighed lightly once before I grabbed one of the black helmets that lay on the cold floor nearby and slipped it on my head. Before long, I was out on the eerily-quiet road; the sound of the motorcycle's engine as it purred suggestively the further I drove away from the apartment was the only other noise aside from my breathing and the faint sound of the air dancing around me. I wasn't surprised at the sight of how lonely the road ahead of me was but I couldn't shake the feeling that the road had been abandoned long ago. Despite that, it almost felt reassuring. My mind wandered aimlessly as I drove on but what did shock me was when a sudden thought crossed my mind. It may have only been a brief thought, but it had been enough to make me brake instinctively.

As the motorcycle's engine continue to purr suggestively, my feet met the concrete floor hard in a mad attempt to balance myself as I continued to straddle the bike. I allowed myself to remember the thought, almost to the point where the thought had started to burn itself in my mind. _Is it even possible? It's a long shot, I know that. I can't make myself fall in love with a near-enough complete stranger, and I doubt that there would be enough time to. Have I seriously become that shaken up because of what happened recently, that I would even consider that possibility, no matter how miniscule it may be? It's too far-fetched an idea to even consider coherently, but somehow, it seems like it might be the only idea that would be worth considering_, I slowly thought to myself. After what seemed like a long time, I shook the idea out of my mind and continued to drive down the road.


	9. A Stranger Becomes A Friend

**I actually struggled to write this chapter - mainly because I hadn't intended for this chapter to written the way it was (I'm so glad it happened though), so enjoy!**

**Chapter 9 – A Stranger Becomes A Friend**

Three days passed me by and for some reason, those three days seemed to have a fleeting sensation to them. I had gotten into a bit of a pattern of leaving the apartment half an hour after my dad left for work, wander around the shopping district for about an hour or two and then come home before Ulquiorra dropped off to give me the notes from the classes that I had missed that day. However, despite those three days being fleeting, they also felt lonely, for a want of a better word. At first, I wasn't sure what it was, but on the afternoon of the third day, roughly around four in the afternoon, something deep down in the depths of my mind had changed my mood for the better. I hadn't expected to run into Ichigo the way I had done, but I was happy that I did. I hadn't meant to stay out in amongst the general public for more than two hours, but for some unexplainable reason, I had. I had wandered rather aimlessly around the shopping district and as I had turned the corner, I had bumped into Ichigo. My hood had been up, concealing my face like it had done for what easily felt like a lifetime, but he instantly recognised me as 'Sho'. I admit, I had been scared to tell him what my name, my real name, was the first time we met but the name that I had given myself had seemed to stick, and looking back on it, I think that was mainly because I was afraid that he would be repulsed by what I had turned out to be.

"If you have the time, why don't we go grab a drink or something?" Ichigo had suggested. I nodded; it had sounded like a good idea. We had quickly stopped into a small diner that was located on the corner of a street. It had looked a little run-down on the outside, but the inside of the building was a different story. It had a small bar area where people who were on-the-go could just grab a quick cup of coffee but it also had several booths that could easily fit four people, six people maximum, in each one. Minutes passed and the pair of us had taken a seat and ordered drinks. "Do you mind if I ask you something?" Ichigo asked.

"As long as it's nothing personal or regarding anything illegal, I don't mind" I responded dryly. I wanted to smirk at what I had said, but I didn't. Ichigo looked unfazed by what I had just said.

"What school do you go to? You mentioned that you were a student when we first met, but you never mentioned what school you went to" Ichigo asked as he slipped his bag off of his body and dumped it unceremoniously onto the cushioned seats that the booth had to offer. I looked blankly at him for a second or two, before I sighed.

"I'm home-schooled but I don't have a tutor" I answered simply. It wasn't a lie, so to say. I did study at home but I didn't need someone lecturing me about how to go about complex Math problems or how to write English essays. It wasn't that I was defiant; it was the fact that I didn't want anyone else but my reflection, and Ulquiorra, to see the monster that I had become. If nothing else, I was scared of being truly alone and because of that simplistic fear, I had become wary of what other people might have said regarding my outward appearance. I looked at Ichigo, who had looked at me blankly. "I went to school, but something happened" I said cryptically. The blank expression that had been present on Ichigo's face had softened into one that resembled Sympathy, but it definitely wasn't Sympathy. I didn't need anyone to be sympathetic towards me; a part of me had told me that I had brought it all on myself, and in a sense, I had deserved it.

"I won't ask what happened. It's not my right to pry into what you might feel is a 'sensitive topic'" Ichigo stated solemnly and finger-quoted 'sensitive topic'. He then smiled softly. The way he had smiled just then made me want to throw up; the smile almost looked lonely, and at that point, I thought that it was.

"Thanks" I swallowed quickly. After that, our drinks came and along with the drinks, a somewhat tense silence broke out between the pair of us. It might have only been for a minute or two but it was definitely there. "So, what about you?" I asked slowly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ichigo asked. I fought back the urge to laugh at the confused look that was plastered over the kid's face; I didn't. Instead, I took a sip of the dark liquid that had been presented to me. The soft drink's carbonated bubbles tickled the back of my throat but it felt refreshing, or that refreshing feeling might have been caused due to the fact that I wasn't alone right there and then.

"I mean, like, what do you want to do with your life?" I asked and placed the glass down on the table in front of me. I watched as Ichigo remained quiet for a moment, and I could help but feel that by judging the look on his face, it looked like he was racking his brains for a semi-decent answer.

"I don't know. I figured I'd go to college but it's not that easy when it comes to picking a course" Ichigo answered and looked down into his drink. It looked like he was debating about whether to take a sip of the drink, or to leave it. I watched as his face contorted into what looked to be a troubled expression. I knew that it would only push him further away from me if I pressed for an answer, so I remained quiet and pulled the hood of my jacket a little more over my head. "I feel pressured into going down the medical route, but it's not what I want to do" he explained briefly. That, I could understand.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. You feel like you want to do something just to make the people around you pleased for following in their footsteps, but it's not what you want to do" I blurted out, a little too loudly for my liking. Ichigo looked at me, his brown eyes fixed on my blue ones, and it was only then when I realised what I had said. _Well, that was a stupidly, girly thing to say, but it's true, I guess. Pressure's a bitch, so is Karma_, I chastised myself. Neither one of us said anything at first but soon enough, Ichigo slowly smiled and unlike the lonely smile that I had seen him wear only seconds ago, this smile felt a little more reassured, a little more human, to say the least.

"Yeah. It's like that" he said and took a sip of his drink. I smiled briefly.

"If you don't mind me asking, what do you want to do? I mean, with your life and all?" I asked slowly. I wanted to take back what I had said, but Ichigo smiled. There was something about him that seemed to get me to look at things from a different perspective, but it wasn't that perspective that everyone talked about when they were in Love. It was more like a subtle change to how I generally thought about things, and I found a part of me thank Rukia Kuchiki for placing this 'curse' on me in the first place.

"I want to do something regarding Art" Ichigo answered and looked at me with a happier look on his face. "What about you? Just because you're home-schooled, it doesn't mean you can't go to college" he asked, as if it was the most natural thing to do. It was, and at that, I felt stumped. I had promised my dad in particular that I would graduate from high-school, but since I had had this 'curse' placed on me, all hopes of going to college felt far-fetched, and even graduating on time had seemed idealistic. I met Ichigo's eyes briefly, and I felt the warmth radiate from his eyes to my body. It definitely left a comforting feeling to linger in the pit of my stomach.

"I don't know. There's been some..." I paused. I didn't know what to say, and for what felt like a minute or two, I racked my brain in the mad attempt to come up with something decent to say. "...things that have happened to me recently. I don't really want to talk about it" I stated and looked down at the booth's table.

"It's cool. I won't pressure you into saying what's on your mind, but if you want to talk, I'll listen" Ichigo smiled reassuringly and I watched as he took a scrap piece of paper out of his school bag, along with a pen and write something down on it. It looked to be numbers of some sort, but it was hard to read upside-down. He then pushed the scrap piece of paper towards me with a smile and slipped the pen back into the bag. "There's something about you, Sho. Something about you that's different to some of the people I've come across. Your way of thinking, it's different but familiar. You kind of remind me of someone that was in my class" Ichigo said, before a smile grew on his face. I wasn't sure of what to think and I was tempted to ask him who I reminded him of, but I didn't. Instead, I took the scrap piece of paper, folded it in half and slipped it into my back jean pocket. I then took out my phone, went straight to my contacts and handed the phone to him. He looked at the screen blankly at first, as if to ask if it was alright to trust a near-enough complete stranger with something like a phone number, let alone with the ability to go from being a stranger to a friend.

"Thanks for listening, both today and the first time we met" I offered a small smile. Ichigo sighed lightly once and took down the number that was displayed. I waited until Ichigo was finished before I retracted my phone and slipped it back out of sight, before I said anything else. I quickly drank the rest of the liquid that was in the glass in front of me before I found a two-pound coin that had been sat in my jean pocket and allowed the gold-coloured coin to sit in the palm of my hand.

"You're welcome. Thanks" Ichigo smiled gently before a comfortable silence overcame the pair of us. It definitely felt, to me at least, that there was someone out there, aside from Ulquiorra and my dad, who I could turn to if I needed to. The lonely feeling that had overcome me since I had this 'curse' placed on me seemed to ease off, just a little, but it was enough to make me feel a different emotion altogether. Companionship. I truly felt like I had found a friend who might just understand and know what it felt like to be pressured into doing something that I didn't want to do, just to please the people around me, to know what it felt to be different, to know what it felt to be alone at times. Words couldn't describe how lucky I felt to have Ichigo as a friend, but what I didn't account for was how I would soon feel towards Ichigo.


	10. Differences And A Kiss In The Rain

**I love German Shepherds, cats, and the colours Blue and Green so I couldn't resist the temptation of putting it into this chapter. With that said, enjoy!**

**Chapter 10 – Differences And A Kiss In The Rain**

I had originally thought that once Ichigo and I were done in the diner, we would head our separate ways but that plan quickly changed. I didn't mind, and I would even go as far to say that I was glad that the original plan had changed. There was something about the boy that stood next to me that made me curious, not to mention trust him completely, despite the fact that I had only known Ichigo for an incredibly short period of time. Needless to say, I kind of liked the feeling that came with Ichigo. I wasn't sure what it was but there was a gentle, calming aura that surrounded him, and in turn, it made any unsettling thoughts disperse. In the last hour or so, the pair of us had talked about what we wanted to do with our lives, our likes and dislikes, our favourite colours and bands. It was surprising to know how different Ichigo was to me. He wanted to go to an art college, whilst I simply wanted to graduate high school and get a job, he liked the colours Red and Green, whilst I liked Blue and Black, and that he also liked dogs, in particular German Shepherds, whilst I preferred cats, like Panthers for instance. I had expected Ulquiorra to send a text message or even phone me to ask where the hell I was whilst I conversed with Ichigo, but he didn't. It came as a bit of a surprise, but at the same time, it didn't come as that much of a surprise. Ulquiorra was his own person, and that meant that he didn't have to worry over me like a mother hen, although I knew he would do.

"So, what now? Do we go our separate ways or what?" I slowly asked as the pair of us stepped out of the diner.

"Could do, but I'm curious. I want to know more about the person next to me" Ichigo shrugged casually before he flashed a small grin. I watched as he then looked up at the sky; it looked like it was going to rain. The sky had a heavy presence that lingered throughout it, and as that presence skilfully dodged the darkening clouds, I was almost certain that at any given point, the heavens would open up and cry heavy droplets of rain. "Rain" Ichigo said, a simplistic look overcame the grin from earlier. It was barely audible, almost like a whisper, and at that point, I looked up. The sky did look dark, but part of my vision was clouded over with part of the dark hood that I wore.

"Seems that way. Let's go" I stated dully. Rainy days were something that made me feel lethargic, and right now, all I felt was exhausted. I would have easily gone home and slept happily like an overgrown cat if I had the option, but a part of me told me to stay, and safe to say, I wasn't sure why I thought that way. _Could it be the fact that Ichigo...? Nah, everyone's gotta have at least a negative memory of something, or a painful one that they just have to accept. If so, what's his? He smiles a lot more than I do, that's for sure, but there's something about that smile, that lonely smile that he wore earlier that I just don't like. Not to mention the fact that there's something about him that makes me trust him completely. It's weird. It's a weird notion, no, a weird feeling. Is it even possible to trust someone that I basically just met with my live? Is that even possible? _I thought to myself. I forced the thought out of my mind as I started to walk down the street, and before long, Ichigo had joined me by my side.

"You don't really go out a lot, do you?" Ichigo quickly asked as we passed through a large sea of people consisting of either students and their friends, mothers with their young children and men who were either going to work or had just come from work. I looked at him with an odd look plastered on my face. "I mean, what do you do when people see you?" Ichigo clarified.

"They don't" I simply stated. "I try not to go out as much as physically possible" I briefly explained with almost a bored tone lingering in my voice. I didn't mean to sound bored, but the question had reminded me of whom I had been. Vain. Inconceivable. A laughing joke. My expression contorted into one that filled with a combination of anger and shame. I was ashamed of who I was, and how I had been so blissfully ignorant of what I had had. It pissed me off.

"Not much of a people person then, huh?" Ichigo asked. At that point, I wanted to tell him otherwise, but I couldn't. I didn't feel confident in myself to come out and say 'Yeah, I used to be a complete asshole who took everything in regards to physical appearance for granted', not yet anyway. I had constantly looked at my reflection in the mirror, or in an available window the first few days of having the 'curse' placed on me, but now; I couldn't bear to look at my reflection. All I saw when I looked in the mirror, or in a window, was the monster that I was.

"You could say that" I answered after I swallowed hard. My throat had felt dry, but the more I spoke with Ichigo, the more it started to feel like sand paper. It burned like crazy and I knew what caused the burning sensation. My fear of being truly alone, my fear of being rejected, had caused my throat to feel like a desert. "What about you, though? Why are you so interested in knowing who I am?" I asked without realising what I had just said. When I next looked at Ichigo, he shrugged. A blank expression was present but it wasn't hard to figure out that a scowl had been worn previously on his face.

"I don't know. There's just something about you, Sho. Like I said, you're different to the people I've come across. I like it" Ichigo smiled reassuringly, and at that point, it started to rain. I cursed underneath my breath at the sudden change in the weather, but what had caught me off guard was when Ichigo grabbed a hold of my wrist and quickly pulled me in no direction in particular. I was about to argue back but as I had been forced to follow Ichigo, the rain came down hard and I saw out of the corner of my eye that the sea of strangers that had been around the pair of us were either taking shelter underneath umbrellas or underneath the entrance of nearby shops. I couldn't help but watch Ichigo, well, in particular the back of his head, as the rain quickly dampened his orange locks. There was something about it, and there was something about the situation that I was currently in, that made a small flicker of hope come alight in my soul. Our footsteps were quick as they came into contact with the concrete ground and small puddles of rain below, and as I let Ichigo lead the way, I couldn't help but chuckle a little. I had tried to keep it discrete, but subtly wasn't my forte, so in the end, the chuckle grew louder. "What's so funny?" Ichigo asked as we came to the entrance of an open shop. I was surprised to know that there was hardly anyone here.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about something" I answered. I watched as Ichigo raised an eyebrow, mainly in curiosity if nothing else.

"Like what?" he questioned. I couldn't help but look into his clearly confused brown eyes, nor could I help but smile at the expression on his face. I felt his fingers tighten their grip a little on my wrist, but it didn't hurt that much.

"I was just thinking... that maybe you're different. Compared to some people I've met, I mean" I responded. I watched as Ichigo blushed a little; it was surprisingly cute and with the stunned expression that he wore at that point, it just added to the cute factor. It suited him, not in a girly way, but in a way that rendered him speechless for a minute. The pair of us fell into a comfortable but brief silence after that as we remained fixed in the entrance of the open shop; the only sound that accompanied the silence was the heavy sound of rain pouring down. I couldn't help but look as the droplets of rainwater looked like sprinkles of glitter on Ichigo's hair and forehead.

"You've met people?!" Ichigo asked. I could tell that his voice dripped with sarcasm at that point, and I knew that it was meant as a joke, but I nodded nonetheless. Ichigo's expression softened a little, but the way he blushed and the grip that he had on my wrist was still present.

"Not many, but all of them only liked me for what I used to look like. I changed. I doubt they would even look twice in my direction if they saw what I looked like" I said as lightly as possible. The truth hurt, and I knew deep down that if I was to go to school tomorrow, no-one would look in my direction. I knew that questions regarding my appearance would arise, and I couldn't bear the fact of having so many people openly gawk at what I had become. At that point, Ichigo let go of my wrist and took a step away from me. I didn't say anything as I looked at him with Confusion clearly written all over my face.

"Then, they didn't really know very well. I don't pretend to be something I'm not, but I'd like to think that I know you a bit better than compared to the people you've met and come across. If someone's only concerned with how they look, then how the hell are they able to see what they truly look like?" Ichigo stated. There was something about the vibe that he gave off at that point that made him seem very knowledgeable of what it was like to be prejudged by others, and there was something about his words that made me want to hug, and kiss him, and tell him that he was exactly right. I looked at him, and I felt my own blood rush to my cheeks and dust them lightly. _I was right. This kid definitely knows what it's like to be prejudged, but he's wiser than people his age. I wonder why? Maybe...maybe he's had to deal with something that was out of control and someone offered him some great advice? If so, I need to thank that person_, I thought to myself.

"You really are something, Ichigo" I said. It was meant to be to myself but I hadn't realised just how loud and outspoken it was, and at that point, Ichigo turned to look at me. The blush that had been on his cheeks reappeared, and I could have sworn from the dim lighting that the dark sky had offered us, that the vibrancy of it had grown from being a faint pink colour to almost a bright pink colour. I meant what I had said, and I wasn't going to try and take it back.

"Thanks" he simply said at first. A comfortable silence soon overcame the pair of us as the rain started to ease off before long, and I was pleasantly surprised to see the rays of sunlight come through the sky, eradicating the darkness of the rainclouds. "Hey, Sho. Can I ask you something?" Ichigo asked.

"Go ahead" I offered a small smile. Ichigo remained silent for all of a second.

"It's kind of personal and a little girly, though" he stated, and I couldn't help but feel like the main reason as to why he had just said those words was an indication to the fact that I had the right to change my initial answer. I felt that way, but stuck to what I had said as I nodded slowly, as if to say 'Ask away. I'm not taking back what I just said'. "Do you believe in Love?" Ichigo asked slowly and blushed lightly as he spoke. I fought back the urge to chuckle, but I watched as the surprisingly cute expression that he had worn before soon return. I didn't say anything at first. I knew that I didn't believe in Love, only in Lust, when I was the person that I used to be before I had this 'curse' placed on me, but since I had met Ichigo, I was starting to have second thoughts about the situation. _Maybe it was a good thing that I did have this 'curse' placed on me? If I didn't, then I never would have met Ichigo, and we wouldn't be talking like this, so that's definitely gotta be a good thing. When it comes to Love, however, I can't say that I have experienced being in it, but being able to talk to him like this, without any restraints, it does feel good_, I thought.

"I've been in Lust before, but for Love...I don't know" I answered. "Why do you ask?" I quickly responded. I didn't hear Ichigo's response, but I certainly felt it. I felt it when his lips touched mine, and I had felt his breath linger on my skin before he had done so as he tiptoed to close the height difference between the pair of us. I was stunned; sure I had been kissed before, but that had only been with girls, never with a guy before, but something about the way that Ichigo's soft but equally strong lips and how they had connected to my own, it felt better than any girl's lips that I had kissed. He tasted like smooth, rich chocolate mixed with a lingering taste of cinnamon, and it was enough to drive me crazy. He also smelt faintly of cool mint and the raindrops seemed to make the smell grow from being faint to subtle, but not strong that it became overpowering. I had originally thought that I was heterosexual, but as I felt Ichigo's lips on mine, that sneaky thought regarding sexuality quickly disappeared from mind. _Did that make me bisexual? Was it just Ichigo caught up in the moment? What was it? Was it...could he? No, it's too early to say that I love him, and I know that I have until the time I graduate, which is in less than four months, but that's not near enough time for me to fall madly in love with Ichigo. Yeah, it must be one of those 'in the moment' moments_, I quickly told myself. My eyes widened comically at first, and I felt my body stiffen at the initial shock of it all. I had wanted to shove him away from me, pull down my hood and show him what I truly looked like, but I couldn't. Instead, I felt my body relax slowly and I felt my arms wrap around his lithe body, pulling him closer to my own body. I then felt the once-intentionally chaste kiss grow a little more passionate, not to mention a little longer and I felt my eyes flutter shut, until I felt my eyes open once again as Ichigo pulled away and took a step back and blush profusely. I couldn't help but feel a little dejected at that point.

"Sorry. I just caught up in the moment" Ichigo quickly apologised and looked away, as if the sight of me repulsed him. For a second, I thought that that was the case and I felt my chest begin to constrict; my breathing became almost raspy, as well as my heart began to feel heavy in my chest, almost to the point where if it was suddenly dropped, it would break like an antigue, china vase. Without really processing what had happened or what I was doing, I grabbed a hold of one of his hands and intertwined my fingers in his'. From the look that I received as Ichigo turned his head to look at me, it looked like I had shocked him. I knew that that wasn't the case.

"It's okay, Ichigo. I won't hold it against you" I smiled reassuringly as I looked deeply into his warm, brown eyes. He looked into my eyes and I felt my heart lighten, and flutter gleefully in my chest as my breathing steadied. I then looked up at the blue sky; the white clouds looked light and wispy. "Come on, let's go" I slowly said and led Ichigo away from the area. I was still beyond confused as to why Ichigo had suddenly kissed me, but right there and then, it didn't matter that much. What mattered more was the fact that I had kissed him back, and that I liked it. I was apprehensive to know that the crimson carnation tattoo-like design that resided on my forearm would begin to burn, or that the tattooed six would grow darker in colour or something to that extent would happen. I was also apprehensive to know that Ichigo hadn't seen what I truly looked like, and that he might reject me because of it, but one thing was for certain, that being the fact that Ichigo would save me and in a sense, he had started to when we first met at the under-eighteen's nightclub days ago.


	11. Like A Flower, Love Blooms

**This chapter pretty much wrote itself. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 11 – Like A Flower, Love Blooms**

I was surprised to know how quick April had come and gone, and before long, it was the middle of May. In that short amount of time, Ichigo and I had grown closer as friends but the one thing that irritated me was the fact that I couldn't put a name to the feeling that rippled throughout my body when I thought about him. Time and time again, I had dismissed the incident that had happened just over a month ago as definitely one of those 'caught-up-in-the-moment' moments but the more I thought about it, the more it irritated me. I wasn't sure what had caused my mindset to alter, but I would let my mind wander back to the incident. I would think about it when I was supposed to study and when I was in the shower, but the worst of it was when I would think about it when I lay on my bed at night. My mind would flashed back to how soft, not to mention how strong, his lips were, how he tasted like cinnamon and chocolate, how his breath would linger excitedly on my skin. No matter how many times I would think about it and no matter how many times I would feel my own fingertips touch them gently, almost in disbelief at times, I couldn't help but feel a little dejected, but also a little elated, and the combination of those two polar-opposite feelings left me with a feeling of irritation. The thought of the kiss, safe to say, drove me crazy, despite the fact that it happened just over a month ago and it was one of those 'caught-up-in-the-moment' moments. There had been something about that kiss that the pair of us had shared that made me feel weak at the knees, almost to the point where it became an aphrodisiac. It had me addicted, and it had left me wanting more.

I had noticed in the space of a month little things about Ichigo, like how his hair looked incredibly bright, even in dim lights or in the moonlight. I had also noticed that for someone who was about 5'7, he was lithe but equally as quick when it came to either throwing punches or dodging them. Take last week for instance. We had just come out a deserted children's park, it must have been about half four in the afternoon, and we had been stopped by someone who wanted to apparently teach Ichigo 'a lesson' for having such an outrageous hair colour. Suffice to say, I was mesmerised by what had happened. The dodges from incoming punches that Ichigo managed to avoid with ease, only to then counteract resembled the rhythm of a lively dance, in some people's eyes.

"What did they...?" I had begun shortly after I had witnessed what had happened as the pair of us remained in the small, ill-lit, rubbish-filled alleyway. I had been completely confused, but equally mesmerised. Something about what had happened reminded me of what happened before I had this 'curse' placed onto me. I vaguely remember saying something that had upset Renji a while back and somewhere down the line, Ichigo had stepped in and managed to calm Renji down. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that Ichigo had a calming presence that surrounded him, and I only realised that when I spoke to him more and more.

"It's always been like. People have picked fights with me just because of my hair colour, and no matter how many times I tell them 'it's natural', they don't buy it" Ichigo had explained and ran a hand through his orange tresses in annoyance. "I bet you've had something similar happen to you, Sho" Ichigo stated, plain as day. I almost wanted to say 'not really', but something stopped me. "You mentioned briefly that you went to school once, before something happened. What happened, if you don't mind me asking" It was the dreaded question. I didn't want to talk about it but in easily the space of a month, I did feel something for Ichigo. However, a part of me, deep in the depths of my being, had kept telling myself that it was just a platonic friendship, nothing more, nothing less. At that point, I had pulled Ichigo further into the darkness of the alleyway until we were out of sight from any passersby's view. Alarm bells began to ring in my mind, the majority of them telling me not to let him see what I truly looked like, but a small voice that sounded almost angelic told me to reveal myself, to show what I truly looked like to Ichigo. I did. Time seemed to slow down, almost to the point where it was slower than a snail's pace. I felt my hands shake, mostly in apprehension and fear, when they reached up to the hood of my jacket and pulled the hood off of my head. _Don't run, don't run, don't run. Please don't run_. I kept telling myself that in the hope that Ichigo would bolt at the sheer sight of what I truly looked like. I didn't need to speak, my actions said more than words. They spoke volumes. I had managed to swallow thickly before I spoke; the words themselves had been plagued with an uneasy feeling that quite frankly, left me with a nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Pretty gruesome, huh?" I slowly asked. I knew it wasn't a question; it was more of a statement, and as I watched Ichigo's eyes take in the sight of what I looked like, I was surprised to know that his eyes hadn't widened in disgust. I was pleasantly surprised when he didn't turn and run from me.

"I've seen worse" Ichigo stated simply. Something about the way Ichigo had just spoken to me and how it sounded so sincere, made any negative lingering thoughts that I may have had disperse like how raindrops do when they come into contact with the ground. He then smiled; I smiled back. Relief definitely overcame me at that point but as I watched Ichigo, I felt something within me change. Instead of the initial feeling of relief, I had quickly felt something that closely resembled Love overcame me at that point. I wanted to brush it off, but I couldn't. I had quickly slipped my hood back over my head.

"Come with me. There's something I wanna show you" I spoke and began to walk towards the light that shone at the alleyway's entrance. I quickly heard Ichigo footsteps behind me and before long, the pair of us reached the garage that was adjoined to where I lived. When I pried open the garage door and pulled back the sheet that covered up the motorcycle, I flashed a small smile to Ichigo before I picked up a helmet. "You wanna go for a ride?" I asked and offered the helmet to Ichigo.

"Where to?" he asked, a confused expression graced his face as he looked at me, then to the helmet in my hand and then back to me. I looked into his eyes and felt myself smile a little.

"Does it matter?" I responded before I grabbed the spare helmet that lay on the ground, slipped it on and started the motorcycle's engine. It purred enthusiastically, not to mention a little suggestively. I looked over to Ichigo, who seemed to have composed himself a little.

"Not really. Let's go" he said and took the helmet. I wanted to laugh aloud when he slipped on the helmet; it didn't really fit him but it did surprisingly look good with what he wore. Within the space of minutes, the pair of us were on the bike and out on the road. The engine's purr accompanied us like a simplistic melody as we drove. Truth be told, I didn't have a clue where I was headed, but the destination, to me, didn't matter. As long as I was with Ichigo, nothing else really mattered. Everything else became background noise when it was just the pair of us, and I liked it. Something about the fact that I was with Ichigo made my heart skip a beat, particularly at this current point in time. My body stiffened when I felt Ichigo's arms wrap themselves tightly around my waist. I was almost certain that my heartbeat would be loud, not to mention erratic, enough for him to hear it, and as it hammered wildly against my chest, I was certain that it would soon become too loud and that Ichigo would hear it, or it would burst through my chest. Just as I thought that I would be able to relax, Ichigo pressed his head close to my back, and my body stiffened once again at the action. My hands became clammy as they stuck to the handles of the motorcycle like glue. No matter how much I told myself to relax, I couldn't, and it took a couple of ragged, deep breaths in order for me to do so.

I looked discretely to my left and saw a calm river that seemed to run freely as the bank next to it remained strong and resistant to its watery charms. I didn't really realise what I was doing, but in the space of a few seconds, I had stopped the motorcycle in the middle of the road. Something about the river made me feel calm, but also hypnotised by its beauty as the early rays of sunset began to creep into the sky. I took in the sight of the calm, light blue river, the fresh green bank that sat beside the river and how each colour in the sky bled together effortlessly. Vermillion reds bled almost carelessly with sunny yellows and a small strip of pale orange came into sight, whilst calming blues mixed in with a faint purple that wasn't quite Lilac but close enough to it. The scene was breathtaking, and as I felt Ichigo pull away from me slightly to watch it, my heart began to beat to the rhythm of a slow but elegant waltz. I felt Ichigo move away slightly and I missed the feeling of how his arms felt wrapped around my waist, as they soon rested on the back of the motorcycle's seat. Neither one of us spoke at first and I soon felt the weight of the motorcycle become lighter as Ichigo hopped off of it and stood just in front of it. I watched as Ichigo took in the breathtaking sight, but what surprised me was when I felt my own body act as if it was on auto-pilot, and as I stood next to Ichigo, I felt the same emotion that I had felt beforehand overcome me, only this time, I could put a name to it. Tranquillity.

I watched as Ichigo moved closer to the river and as I remained by the motorcycle for a bit, I watched as he took a seat on the riverbank. Something about it all had my heart flutter lightly in my chest, and as I switched the motorcycle's engine off and slipped off my helmet; I felt my cheeks burn a little. My mind instantly flashed back to when Ichigo and I had kissed that one time and as I subconsciously traced my lips with my fingers, the insistent blush that was on my cheeks only brightened moreso in colour. Any thoughts that I had regarding what had happened quickly came to mind, and no matter how much I wanted to eradicate them, they wouldn't budge an inch from my mind. I wasn't annoyed by it, far from it, but it didn't make sense. I kept telling myself that despite the fact that Ichigo had wanted to know me for me, I couldn't help but fall for him. That wasn't true, though. I knew that Ichigo wanted to know 'Sho'; he didn't want to know me, Grimmjow, for me, and a disheartening feeling soon overcame me.

"Sho? What are you doing?" I heard Ichigo's voice ring in the near distance, and as I looked over my shoulder, I saw that he had stood up, and that a confused expression had painted itself onto his face. My eyes met his' briefly, and I had to force myself to look away. The look that we had both shared just then reminded me of how a girl looked at her crush from afar, and I would have laughed at the stupidity of the idea if this 'curse' wasn't placed on me. I remained quiet for what seemed like an eternity, but when I felt Ichigo's hand on my shoulder, any negative thoughts that I had had seemed to leave my system, except for one. I was right in thinking that Ichigo definitely had a calming presence about him.

"It's nothing. I..." I began and turned around to face him. I still felt Ichigo's hand on my shoulder; it felt small but warm. I didn't know what to say, or what I could say. I was heavily tempted to tell him what I really thought about him at that point, but I felt drained of energy. I had only just shown him what I truly looked like hours ago, and that had taken me a month or so to pluck up the courage to do so. _How the hell can I tell him that I love him if it took me a month just to show him what I truly looked like? Come on, man the fuck up already, Grimmjow. Is the only reason as to why I can't tell because I'm scared of his reaction? I was scared of his reaction when I showed him what I looked like, and he didn't bolt, but confessing your feelings to the one you love...it's enough to make anyone bolt. That's for sure_, I told myself. At that point, I felt so incredibly weak, almost to the point where my hands grabbed a hold of his upper arms for support. I was right in feeling that all of my energy had drained out of my body, leaving me to feel like a lifeless yet alive zombie. I rested my forehead against one of his shoulder blades and closed my eyes; my heart hammered wildly against my chest and my head was swimming with so many questions and feelings that I felt towards Ichigo. It was enough to give me a headache that bordered onto a migraine. I did feel Ichigo stiffen at the shock of it all, but what felt incredibly comforting was when he wrapped his arms around my hunched-over back. I felt his fingers radiate warmth onto my jacket and through down to my back. Words couldn't describe how comforting and warm I felt at that point.

"Listen. I don't know what you've been through, and to me, it doesn't matter. I don't care about that. If you want to talk about anything, I'll listen, okay? That's what friends are for, right?" Ichigo spoke. He sounded so calm at that point, but what he had just said was nearly enough to break my heart. At that point, I felt the crimson carnation tattoo burn lightly. I had checked it every day and now, the carnation looked to be in full bloom. The tattooed six that remained fixed to my abdomen was now a very dark brown colour that almost bordered onto being a light black colour. I knew that I didn't have long until I graduated; Ulquiorra had made that pretty clear when I had spoken to him the previous night, as well as the fact that it would be wise not to get ahead of myself, but I knew that no amount of wishing for more time would help me out. Originally, I had thought that, but the idea still continued to linger in the back of my mind, no matter how much I tried to push it out of my mind. I knew that time was against me, and despite that, I had fallen hard for Ichigo. _So much for getting ahead of myself_, I thought when Ulquiorra had advised me that. I hadn't told Ulquiorra that I had fallen hard for Ichigo; I only told him that I met and ran into him on several coincidental occasions. I nodded slowly, but remained in my position. Ichigo didn't seem to mind much though, but that night, as I lay awake in my bed, all I could think of was what Ichigo had said to me earlier on. _That's what friends are for_. That single line continued to run through my mind, as if it was on constant repeat. No matter how hard I tried to sleep, I just couldn't, and my behaviour became similar to an insomniac's. I looked at the crimson carnation tattoo on my forearm and took in the sight of how the once-upon-a-short-time seedling had grown into a beautiful flower. Like a flower, Love blooms, but once it dies, it's dead for good. I knew that, and that single, plaguing thought, along with what Ichigo had told me and the fact that I had approximately one and a half months until I graduated, terrified me immensely. Those three thoughts were enough to keep me awake for the majority of the night.


	12. The Painting

**I wanted to expand on Ichigo's character a bit more, and considering the fact that this particular fanfic is written from Grimmjow's perspective (which I don't write from regularly), it seemed to work out fine. So, enjoy!**

**Chapter 12 – The Painting**

No matter how many times I tried to ring Ulquiorra the following morning, he either wouldn't pick up or when he did, he would sound incredibly pissed off. Most times, it was the latter one and several times, I had questioned whether or not he had transformed into a girl because the way he sounded closely resembled to how a girl acted when she was on her period. The single thought had made me want to laugh but what stopped me from laughing, let alone smiling, was the fact that I didn't have long until graduation and that if I didn't confess sooner or later to Ichigo, I would remain the way I was forever. A part of me had told me that I was just being stupid for wanting to revert back to what I had been but now and then, a voice would speak, and the thoughts inside of my head would start to flow freely, as if they were running a marathon or something similar. _What if I didn't confess? Would it be all that bad? I mean, I'd still be myself, well, alright not one-hundred-percent myself, but I would be a better version of myself. I'd be someone who I can be proud of but not too proud that I become insufferable? Maybe that's why I was put under this 'curse' in the first place? Maybe it was because of my pride in my appearance and who I was that got me 'cursed' in the first place? If so, maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to remain like this? But, having said that, where does Ichigo come into all of this? Sure, I like him a lot, but it might easily just be me kidding myself. It might easily be me just kidding myself into thinking that I like him. If so, then it's all been a wasted effort, but if it's the real thing, then...maybe it would be a good thing not to revert back to normal? After all, I don't know if he would accept me or reject me completely if he knew the truth, but it's not like I'm lying to him. It's just been a secret, yeah, that's right, it's just a secret. It won't be for long, though. That's much is for sure_, I thought to myself as I looked out of the bedroom window.

I watched as the colours in the sky looked so beautiful but also simplistic. I forced myself to smile. There was something about the light blue sky and puffy, white clouds that had jolted me back to what had happened last night, when I was at the riverbank with Ichigo. The contrasting colours of the sunset, the river and the riverbank, the tranquillity of the atmosphere that surrounded both the pair of us, not to mention the warmth of Ichigo's body as it radiated off of him and onto me. The forced smile grew a little, but it felt a lot more genuine than beforehand. At that, an idea had formed in my mind. It might have been a simplistic idea, but I knew that Ichigo would appreciate the gesture, and with that idea in mind, I ran down out of the bedroom, slipped a hooded jacket over my torso and head, and grabbed my phone and keys before I disappeared from the apartment. I ran to the shopping district; my footsteps felt heavy but somehow light at the same time as they came into contact with the concrete flooring below me. My breathing was hard, almost ragged when I finally stopped and bent over; my hands gripped a hold of my knees in an attempt to support myself.

My past self would have told me that I was acting on impulse, as per se, but it didn't feel like that. I didn't want to do what I was planning to do for any personal gain for myself; I wanted to do it simply for Ichigo. I realised at that point that, in the space of easily three weeks, I had started to like 'Sho' a lot better than I liked myself, Grimmjow. Beforehand, when I thought about it, it would piss me off but I had realised that 'Sho' was nothing more than a part of me, a better, kinder, part of me which I liked a lot better than my overconfident, prideful self. Once I had composed myself, I walked into the one building that had triggered my idea. It happened to be a small art gallery, one in which people could just simply walk into and have a look at some of the local artwork, and as I walked into the building, one picture in particular did catch my eye. It looked to be a landscape, but what had captured my attention were the fine detail, as well as the heart and soul of the artist, that had gone into the painting. The main colours that were shown in the painting were white, black and grey, and as I stopped in place and looked at the painting with curiosity, I took it all in. The way the buildings stood next to one another almost made it look like a bustling city, and as figures of people, all aged differently from one another seemed to blend into the background with an artistic ease, two figures stuck out to me.

Like the other figures, most of the two figures were coloured in mundane, monochrome colours, except for their hair. One of the two figures had unruly orange hair that looked incredibly similar to Ichigo's hair colour and style, whilst the other figure had blue hair. It made me wonder as to who had painted this particular masterpiece, and as I found out by looking at the small card that hung underneath the painting, I realised whose work it belonged it. The shading, the fine detail, the two people, different as day and night, it all made sense to me. As I read the card below the painting, a smile overcame me, a gentle, almost loving one. _'Even in a sea of people, I still can find you'. An aptly title if you ask me_, _Ichigo,_ I thought quietly to myself. I wandered quietly through the small building, and as I took in the mesmerising site of the paintings that hung in the gallery, my smile grew, and so did the idea in my mind. I quickly took out my phone and sent a quick message to Ichigo, telling him to come to the small art gallery that resided in the shopping district. I didn't have to wait long.

"You're late" I said jokingly as Ichigo breathed heavily. I took in the sight before me. Even when Ichigo was bent over and breathing heavily, there was something about him that made me be attracted to him, like how a moth is attracted to a flame.

"I know, I know" Ichigo joked back lightly before he straightened out. "I didn't make you wait long, did I?" he asked slowly and judging by the look on his face, I could tell that he was apprehensive to hear about my answer. I simply shook my head.

"It's cool. Sorry for making you come here on such short notice" I smiled gently. Ichigo smiled. Conversations always felt so straight-forward, so easy to make when I was with Ichigo. Whether it was about something academic-based or something more humane, the atmosphere always felt comforting and I felt at ease; I never once felt tense when I was around Ichigo. As I turned on my heel and walked back into the building again for the second time, I couldn't help but smile to myself.

"Why did you invite me here of all places?" Ichigo asked as we stepped into the building.

"You like art, right? I figured that you would like to just take a look around and then hang out afterwards" I replied and looked over to Ichigo, who looked at me as if to ask me 'Is this a date?'. "It's not a date or anything like that" I quickly clarified. I had surprised myself when I didn't stutter or stumble over my words, but I had forced myself not say 'Unless you want it to be'.

"Well, yeah. I'm surprised you would remember something like that" Ichigo said and looked away, as if it was something to be embarrassed off.

"Are you kidding me? There's no way I could forget something so important like that" I responded before I stood in front of him, as if to block him from going into the building anymore. I looked into his eyes; they always seemed so warm, so bright, so calming. "If it's important to you, then it's important to me" I simply stated with conviction displayed in my voice. Ichigo looked at me, confused at first, but he soon shrugged and a smile appeared on his face.

"You're right" Ichigo said. For the next two or three hours, we wandered slowly around the gallery, and even when I pointed out the artwork which had mesmerised me, Ichigo asked if I was teasing him about it. I shook my head. There had been something about that painting that had rendered me speechless, even when Ichigo had pulled me away from the painting and to another one. The artwork that hung on the wall looked relatively new, as if it was only displayed for the general public a short time ago. The colours, compared to the monochrome painting that Ichigo had done, were vivid, and I instantly recognised where the scene was. It was the riverbank, but what had stunned me was the fact that in the painting, a little boy was crouched down, as if he was looking for something. Or someone. "I don't like this one so much" Ichigo stated quietly and looked away. I had noticed that Ichigo felt something that combined disdain and sadness for the particular piece of artwork that stood proudly before us. I had noticed that it shared a lot of characteristics to the other painting that he had worked on.

"Why's that?" I slowly asked. I hadn't wanted to ask but I couldn't stop myself from doing so, and at that point, I could tell that the atmosphere that surrounded the pair of us had grown a little tense. Ichigo continued to look away from the painting, and he didn't say anything. Quite frankly, he didn't need to, and at that point in time, I felt like I wanted to kick myself so hard. _Talk about foot-in-mouth disease, I criticised. It's obvious that he's lost someone close to him, the scar's there to prove it. Sure, I don't know what the name of my birth mother is, but if I was to suddenly lose Ichigo now, I know what it would feel like. I don't know how I would be able to cope with it._ "Shit" I cursed, mainly to myself but it had escaped out into the open. Ichigo looked at me slowly at that point, but all I could see at that point was Red. I was so angry with myself; I had wanted to see Ichigo smile; I didn't want to see him depressed. "I'm sorry, Ichigo. I didn't know. She must have meant a lot to you" I slowly began, as if to test the waters. Heavens knows why I thought Ichigo had lost a female family member, but somehow, it was simple enough to read if you knew what you were looking for. I hadn't intended for Ichigo to be depressed or disheartened, and with that, I grabbed a hold of his wrist and pulled him towards the exit. I was surprised not to hear Ichigo question where we going, but I felt like I needed to get him away from that particular painting. It had left a sore taste in my mouth, and a scar that might never fully heal on Ichigo's heart. When we turned a corner, I quickly turned on my heel and pulled Ichigo close to me. I felt his body stiffen a little as I quickly wrapped my arms around his lithe frame, pulling him closer into my body as I rested my head against his shoulder blade. "I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me for being such an idiot?" I asked. Truth be told, I didn't expect Ichigo to accept my apology but when I felt his body relax against my own and his arms wrap themselves around my waist gently at first, all the tension that had surrounded the pair of us disappeared in the similar way to how a black cloud vanished after a storm.

"I...You didn't know, Sho. It's okay. It does hurt, but if it means that I'm with you, then it's worth accepting" Ichigo spoke quietly. His voice was unbelievably quiet, barely a whisper but his words did sound sincere, as if he was sure of himself. I wanted to smile but after bringing up such a sensitive topic for Ichigo, I couldn't. Instead, I held him closer to me.

"I...don't have much time" I began slowly. My voice was quiet, just like how Ichigo's voice had been. It was a sensitive topic for me to bring up, especially out of the blue, but I knew that time was heavily against me and that pretty soon, if I didn't let Ichigo know how I truly felt about him, I knew that I would, or quite possible, could, lose him altogether. It wasn't something that I wanted to think about, but it acted like a sand-timer at that back of my mind. It always ran, and no matter how many times I had tried to block it out, the grains of sand that represented Time would find a way of escaping. Instinctively, or impulsively, I brought my head up from where it had been on Ichigo's shoulder blade and kissed him passionately. I felt my hands move from where they had rested on his back to his shoulders as I tried desperately not to hold them in a vice grip. The kiss, particularly on my part, was passionate and I desperately hoped that my feelings would reach Ichigo. My heart hammered uncontrollably against my chest as I waited for Ichigo to respond accordingly and when he finally responded, it felt that my heart was dancing gleefully as it did gymnastic-style trick after trick. I felt empty but also at a loss for words when I finally did pull away from Ichigo, and I watched his face burn feverently. Internally, I smiled. "Why is it that I always feel so at ease when I'm around you?" I breathed quietly and rested my forehead against his' gently. I heard Ichigo smirk, and it was enough to send pleasant shivers down my spine, and give me goose bumps.

"I should be asking you that. Why does it feel like you remind me of someone that I used to know, Sho?" At that, I looked at Ichigo with a stunned expression clearly written on my face. His eyes seemed, aside from glowing with warmth, a combination between Confusion and Curiosity. I wanted to shrug off the feeling that had just overcome me like an ocean wave, but I couldn't. The way Ichigo looked at me was enough for me to question whether it was a good idea or not for me to come clean about who I was, who I truly was. I thought about formulating a somewhat convincing response, but I couldn't, no, I knew that Ichigo would be able to read me like a book. "It doesn't matter, right?" he soon answered and rested his forehead onto mine and closed his eyes. "I wish we could stay like this forever" he added. That sentence alone was enough to make me wish that what Ichigo had just said, could happen, but I knew that sooner or later, I would have to come clean and tell Ichigo the truth. I was pretty sure that what Ichigo had just said, could have been interpreted as 'I love you, Sho', but that was the problem. I was in love with Ichigo, whilst Ichigo, if you looked into what he had said, was in love with 'Sho' and not me. Not Grimmjow. I was but at the same time, wasn't the person that Ichigo was in love with. I knew that Time was heavily against me, and if I even wanted a shot at confessing how I truly felt to Ichigo, I had one option. I had one last card to play, and that was to ask Rukia Kuchiki for a little more time. When I looked at the crimson carnation tattoo-like design on my forearm that evening, I noticed that at least three of its petals had fallen to the base of the design and that the carnation's once crimson red colour had started to look like washed-out red in colour. The stem of the carnation also looked paler than what it had done, and I had noticed that the scars on my face seemed to etch themselves moreso into my skin, as if it was starting to become a permanent transformation.

**Normally, with art galleries, you have to pay to get in, but there's one not too far from where I live, where you can go in and have a brief look around at some of the local art (I think you need to pay a small charge but I'm not 100% sure). (I haven't been in it, but it does look good)**


	13. I Don't Want To Lose Him

**The last line of this chapter is a re-write (so that I could fit it into this particular fanfic) that I did of Passenger's 'Let Her Go'. I found it pretty inspiring for this particular chapter, so I recommend that you listen to it as you read this chapter. Nevertheless, enjoy!**

**Chapter 13 – I Don't Want To Lose Him**

The days passed extremely quickly and before long, I found myself stood outside of the school grounds. Quite frankly, I did, but equally I and didn't know what I was going to do, let alone, how the conversation between Rukia Kuchiki and I was going to turn out. I had pretty much forced myself to come here, and as several students filed out of the school, it didn't take long for Rukia Kuchiki to leave the school building. I had noticed that she was around a couple of her friends, in particular Renji, Ichigo and the voluptuous girl that Ulquiorra had referred to as Orihime Inoue. I leant against the wall that held the hinges of the school gates and looked up at the sky. I was surprised to know that despite it looking bright, it was a pretty standard day. The clouds hung somewhat heavily in the blue sky, and the sky itself looked as if not a drop of rain would break through at any given point. I couldn't erase the looming thought that I was running out of time and with that, my heart fell heavy in my chest. Ever since I had arrived here over an hour ago, I had been tempted numerous times to turn on my heel, walk away, and give in but something within me forced me to stand my ground.

"Sho? What are you doing here?" I heard Ichigo ask as the small group drew closer to where I stood. I turned my attention to where the four of them stood nearby. I smiled when I saw Ichigo.

"Nothing much really. Just thought I'd come here. This place brings back memories" I said almost carelessly and by the time those words escaped my mouth, I deeply wished that I could take them back. At that point, I smiled more. It didn't feel real; it was definitely a fake smile. The one where you don't want anyone to know that you're hurting. I closed my eyes and I forced myself to remain calm. _What was I thinking? Telling them that 'this place brings back memories'?! God, I'm such an idiot. I never learn, do I? Clearly not if I've just given them that little piece of information_, I cursed internally.

"What do you mean by that, err...?" the girl that Ulquiorra referred to as Orihime asked. "I'm sorry. I don't know your name" she quickly apologised.

"It's Sho" I quickly introduced myself and opened my eyes. "I just meant that this place isn't exactly on the top of my 'I-want-to-be-here-in-terms-of-place' list" I clarified.

"Why's that?" Rukia asked and raised an eyebrow. I had to think of a decent answer, one that didn't sound so generic.

"I...there was a bit of a situation that I got too involved in. I suppose I deserved what I got at the end of the day" That last sentence was close enough to one-hundred percent of the truth. At the end of the day, I had deserved to have been brought down a peg or two and I did deserve to go through what I went through and what I was going through, but in some cases, well, mainly one in particular, I was quite glad that I did deserve my punishment. "I don't really want to talk about it" I answered simply. I looked with a blank expression plastered on my face as the two girls exchanged looks with one another.

"I thought you would say something like that, Sho" Renji began before he looked me straight in the eye. "Despite having just met you, I feel like you only want to let a certain amount of people in. It's like you have a wall around you. In a sense, you remind me of this jerk that used to go here" Renji added. I was heavily tempted to argue back and say something like 'That's not true' or 'You don't know me', but as I briefly glanced over to Ichigo, I noticed that he smiled gently at me.

"If you're referring to Grimmjow, Renji, then you're right in the sense that he was a jerk, but to say something like that to Sho, that's not the case. Sure, Sho's a little more on the introverted side, but who gives a crap about that?" I was surprised to hear Ichigo say that, and a part of me wanted to kiss him, just because of the fact that for so long, I had wanted to hear those words that were spoken. For a split second, I was rendered speechless, but it wasn't until I heard what Rukia said that I felt my heart sink low into the bottom of my chest. I knew that both 'Sho' and I were one of the same person, but I couldn't help but feel like the four of them were talking badly about me, even though I stood nearby.

"That may be true, Ichigo, but Grimmjow's not turned up once since February, and it seems that hardly anyone truly cares as to his whereabouts. Even the teachers have given up on him. It's like he's just disappeared. So much for Mr. Popular and Mr. Lady-killer" Rukia spoke. At that, I felt my hand clasp a hold of her tiny wrist. I don't know what overcame me at that point, and no matter how much I wanted to believe that I had just seen Red, I couldn't. I knew that what Rukia had just said was true. No-one cared about me, Grimmjow. Ulquiorra had been to visit me day-in, day-out but even then; it would be to only drop off any questions from the classes that had taken place that day and to collect anything that I had done. That, however, had been for a brief amount of time and when I had called him time and time again; it felt that the conversation that we shared was brief. At that point, I didn't say anything. Instead, all I did was pull Rukia to a quiet area and when I felt that the pair of us was out of earshot, I finally let go of her wrist.

"I need more time. I might have a shot if I have just a little more time" I pleaded with her as I rolled up my sleeve to show her the carnation tattoo. Unlike the time when I had begged her to get rid of this 'curse', the carnation had looked more washed-out, almost the point where it looked a little beige, and several of the carnation's petals except for at least half a dozen, had fallen off of the dying flower.

"You again" she breathed. I nodded once. I watched with panic-filled eyes as she looked to the left of her, then to the right before she turned back to me. "I can't" she simply said. I looked at her, stunned.

"What? What do you mean you can't? You're the one that placed this 'curse' on me in the first place, so you must have some way of..." I panicked and gripped onto her shoulders; my large hands engulfed her tiny shoulders and held onto them in a vice grip.

"I can't. I set you a goal, that being until graduation. I can't give you any more time to find love, let alone tell the one you love in the space of a couple of weeks. It's physically impossible for me to do anything to help you. I'm sorry" she apologised. Somehow, it sounded sincere enough, and I had been surprised to know that she recognised me when I showed her my forearm. At that, my hands let go of her petite frame and I felt myself stumble backwards. I didn't say anything at first, and it was only until she looked at me with worried, purple eyes that I finally did feel my throat burn and itch irritably at the same time.

"I see. Sorry" I apologised before I turned my back to here and covered the almost-repulsive tattoo that etched its way into my skin every single moment of the day. "Thank you" I quickly said and walked away. I didn't dare myself to stay in the area any longer, and as I walked further away from Rukia, I felt something overcome me, something that made me run with my legs feeling like Lead as I did. That single feeling that chilled me to the bone had been enough to make me break out in a cold sweat as I ran to nowhere in particular. It had been enough to force my mind to go into overdrive as I ran at what felt like one-hundred-miles-per-hour. That single feeling was known as Fear. I was scared to realise what could easily happen in the space of a month, give or take an extra week or so. I was scared to know what Ichigo's reaction would be when and if I did tell Ichigo how I truly felt about him. I was scared to know that if I didn't tell Ichigo how I felt about him, I would lose him forever. It terrified me and the more I ran, the more it felt that I couldn't escape what was going to come in due time.

When I finally did stop at the riverbank, my breathing was ragged and I was bent over in a mad attempt to support my weight as my cold sweat-covered hands gripped a firm but shaky hold of my knees. It didn't matter whether or not my breathing hurt my chest, or whether or not I would draw blood from how tight I held onto my knees. At that point, all I could think of was what was going to happen to me. I didn't want to think about it, but I couldn't help it, and as I thought about it, I felt my legs give way from underneath my body. I quickly felt the grass that belonged to the riverbank embrace my fall, and as I remained face-down on the soft grass bank, I felt heavily tempted enough to close my eyes and pretend that what I had found out was a nightmare Hell had created especially for me. Something about the warmth of the sunlight and the gentle, loving embrace the grass bank had to offer me, made me think of Ichigo and despite being in love with him, all I could think of was how little time left I had to spend with him, before either I would remain like this forever or I would have to let him go. It was at that point that I realised that I didn't want to lose him for good. I had recently heard a song play on the radio, and one of its lyrics came to mind. Only know you love him when you let him go.


	14. I Lost Game Over

**I seriously considered making this chapter a little more intimate, but I didn't in the end (I suppose it doesn't really matter either way). I wanted to capture a side of Grimmjow which I'm pretty sure is a rarity for his character (it seemed to work with the theme of this chapter, so I've got no complaints as to how it turned out). Please enjoy!**

**Chapter 14 – I Lost. Game Over**

No matter how many times I glanced from the small desktop calendar to the slowly-but-steadily dying carnation on my forearm, I couldn't hold back the feeling of unease about what could happen at any given point. It almost got to the point where I wanted to break the bathroom mirror, punch a hole or two in the bedroom wall or completely trash my bedroom, and to be completely honest, the third idea seemed incredibly tempting. The only thing that kept me from losing my mind was the several memories that I had shared with Ichigo running through my mind, and as I moved from my bed to the small sofa area that rested just in front of the window and back again, I found myself feel not quite calm about the situation, but possibly close enough to the real deal. It had surprised me to know that graduation was only around the corner, but it equally pissed me off to know that for at least two weeks, maybe even three, I had spent isolated in the apartment, in particular in my bedroom. My only contact with the outside world was when Ichigo texted and phoned me at least once a day. The memory of when Ichigo had recently called me had been enough to force a small but genuine smile onto my previously serious face. Despite the conversation between the pair of us being short, it had definitely made an impact on how I had been feeling.

I paced around the bedroom quietly, lost in thought. The memories of what had happened before I had had this 'curse' placed on me seemed like a blur to me, a horrible but persistent blur on my memory that reminded me of pretty much a hangover. If anything, it was possibly the worst hangover that Hell had to offer me and the sole cause of said hangover was the fact that I had been, and still was, drunk on love. People had often said that Love did some crazy, weird-ass shit to people, and I was dealing with it first-hand. I couldn't eradicate the thought of Ichigo and what he might be doing at this exact point in time as it ran through my mind, as if it was a song on constant repeat. It didn't matter where I was or what I had been doing, the thought of Ichigo would always cross my mind. In some cases, it had been something to keep me going, something that motivated me not to give in, but at some points, it would be a harsh reality call, one that I simply couldn't escape by closing my eyes and shutting myself away from the outside world. It was a vicious but calming cycle. I looked back at the small desktop calendar; the graduation day's date was circled heavily in red marker pen. I wanted to smirk; when I had circled that specific date, I had thought that it would be not only the day where I kept my promise to both my dad, the woman who gave birth to me and to myself, but also the day where I would do something meaningful with my life. I scoffed at how naive I had been. _Three days left, it's now or never_, I told myself. Not only did my promise seem now like a fleeting wish, but so did the ability to go back to what I looked like.

Over time, I had become less arrogant and more tolerable to people, and I had felt breathtakingly grateful for being able to learn more about myself, not in a cocky way, but in a more humane way. I even felt grateful for having this 'curse' placed on me, and the more I thought about it, the more I came to realise that if I didn't have this 'curse' placed on me, I never would have met, or come to love, Ichigo. _I guess I never appreciated it, but it doesn't matter much to me anymore. What matters most to me now, is Ichigo. I still haven't told him how I truly feel about him, even though we have kissed twice. I don't have any more time left, so it's really now or never_, I concluded silently to myself. At that, I quickly grabbed my phone and dialled possibly the one number that made my heartbeat irregular and pressed it close to my ear. The dialling tone was monotonous and my hands felt irritably clammy; I was almost positive that my throat got agonisingly dry and my breathing became erratic. _Breathe, Grimmjow, breathe. Just calm down and inhale, exhale. Breathe slowly, deeply, calmly. Just breathe, goddammit! What are you trying to do?! Beat the world record for 'longest breath hold', because if so, you're doing a good job of it. Breathe, goddammit. Just breathe already_. When I heard the dialling tone cut out as someone picked up the phone, a small but needy gasp of breath overcame me at that point.

"Hey, Sho. What's up?" Ichigo spoke through the device. For a split second, I felt undeniably happy to hear his voice, and it was enough to render me speechless for what felt like an eternity and beyond. "Is something wrong?" Ichigo asked, his voice was filled with concern. I mentally picked myself for not replying when I had the opportunity to do so.

"No, nothing's wrong, Ichigo. Sorry to have worried you just then" I began slowly. My throat, unlike before, now felt like a wave of pure, refreshing water had replaced the desert-like dryness that I had felt previously.

"Are you sure? You don't sound so convinced" Ichigo asked. I could have easily guessed that one of his eyebrows was raised. Over the course of a few months, I had picked up little things that Ichigo did effortlessly. Like how his eyebrows would raise and furrow themselves closer to another whenever he was concerned or angry about something, or like how his smiles would seem so full of warmth and tranquillity that would be enough to make even the most stone-cold of hearts melt little by little. Even the way he would look at me so gently, so peacefully in different lights was not only enough to make me fall head over heels in love with him all over again, but it was enough to make me feel safe. It was enough to make me feel secure about what I wanted and who I was, but most importantly, it was enough to make me realise that he was all that I had ever wanted, and more. It made my heart soar high like an eagle. Less than a year ago, girls referred to me as an untameable stallion, but now, only one person had managed to see me for who I truly was, and prove to me that I was more than an untameable stallion. It was all the proof I needed; I needed Ichigo. I needed Ichigo like Romeo needed Juliet, I needed Ichigo like Day needed Night, I needed Ichigo more than anything in the world.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Are you available tonight by any chance?" I slowly asked, my heart pounding loudly like a free stallion's footprints against the dry, broken ground. I didn't hear Ichigo say anything at first; I knew that it was a bit on the late side when it comes to planning something, but something inside of me told me that I needed to see him again, something told me that I needed to hear him speak. I listened to the somehow comforting silence as I waited for Ichigo's response. It soon came.

"Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?" Ichigo asked slowly.

"I need to see you" I blurted out without realising it at first, and before I could take it back, it was out in the open. I heard Ichigo chuckle happily on the other side of the phone, and despite wanting to blush and kick myself for being a complete idiot, I remained quiet.

"I'll be over in twenty minutes, alright" I smiled when I heard that, and even when the phone call had ended, I couldn't hold back the smile that sat on my face. In the end, I ended the call on my end and prepared myself. Truth be told, I wasn't ready in terms of preparation when it came to confessing my feelings to someone. I had little to no experience with confessing my feelings to someone that I trusted, to someone who could easily stomp on those feelings and laugh at me for being so pathetic. In retrospect, the thought of Ichigo doing that to me was enough to make me feel nauseous, and it had made me think back to the times when girls had confessed their feelings to me, and I either stomped on their feelings and laughed in their faces, or screwed over with the girls entirely. It was enough to make me feel incredibly sick to my stomach for how I had treated them. I knew that it wouldn't take Ichigo long at all to come over, considering he had been around the apartment a grand total of three times when my dad had been out working on a weekday, or when my dad had been busy during the weekend. I slowly made my way down the stairs and just as I was about to enter the small living room and pass time, the doorbell rang. I walked over to the door and when I looked through the keyhole, I felt my heart burn a small, controlled fire.

"You're earlier than I thought you would be" I smiled as I opened the front door. I didn't need to wear my hood over my head when Ichigo and I hung out at the apartment. It still surprised me to know that he didn't leave me, despite knowing what I truly looked like.

"I couldn't keep you waiting twenty minutes for me" Ichigo joked lightly. I opened the door further, as if to allow him access into the apartment. I wanted to say something like 'I would have waited longer because it's you' but I didn't. Instead, I smiled gently. "So, what's the plan? Just sit and talk? Maybe order a pizza?" Ichigo asked casually.

"Sounds like a plan to me" I answered. An hour easily passed and aside from the two large pizza boxes that were scattered on either the coffee table or on the floor and two half-empty glasses filled with soda, a peace-filled bliss overcame the pair of us as we sat on the sofa. I didn't say anything at first; I didn't need to. I listened as Ichigo talked about how his graduation was slowly coming up fast. "What? What do you mean you haven't applied to go to Art school?" I asked abruptly. Ichigo remained quiet as he sat beside me.

"I haven't given up on my dream, Sho. It's just that I..." Ichigo begun quietly before he looked down at the fabric of the sofa. I looked at him patiently. At that point, my body went on auto-pilot. I felt one of my hands bring Ichigo's chin up, so that our eyes met briefly before I captured his lips passionately. I didn't know what overcame me, but all I knew was that I needed him to be near me. I needed this moment to be real, not to mention the fact that I needed to tell him how I truly felt about him. It didn't take Ichigo long to respond and relax accordingly, and as I felt him wrap his arms around my neck, I gently pushed him onto his back. The kiss intensified and the moment became more passionate and needy than before. I slipped my tongue past Ichigo's lips and as our tongues danced to what resembled the beat of a fiery tango; I felt my heart beat wildly against my chest. It was at that point where the thought of Ichigo shattering my heart became enough reason for me to stop and break away from him. I didn't say anything at first. I didn't know what I could say, and that much was present when the atmosphere changed from a passionate, almost lust-ridden one to one which became very serious. I looked at Ichigo, who rested comfortably against the sofa as confusion adorned his features, before I looked away.

"I'm sorry. It's just that I..." _Here goes. It's now or never. Come on, Grimmjow, you can do this. Just say something like 'I like you'. Just say it like you're ripping off a bandage; quick and pain-free_, I told myself. "I like you, Ichigo. A lot" I blurted out. _There! It's out in the open, and there's not much that I can do about it now. All I can do is wait and see for what his reaction will be_. I waited for what seemed like forever, and I watched out of the corner of my eye as Ichigo pushed himself off of the sofa and into the same position which he had been sat in before I had lost control of myself. _Come on, say something. Just say something already. The suspense is killing me. Don't look at me like that; just say something, for crying out loud!_

"Sho...I'm sorry but I can't accept your feelings" Ichigo began slowly. At that point, I snapped my head to focus solely on him. I noticed that he looked down at the fabric that rested in between his crossed legs. I would have easily said something like 'Get out' or 'I never want to see you again', but I couldn't. If I did, I knew that as soon as I said it, I would regret it immensely, and even if I could persuade Ichigo to forgive me, I knew that I would have to start afresh. All I heard at that point was my heart shatter. It felt like someone had taken a baseball bat, swung and broken a mirror into millions of tiny, unfixable pieces. There were no words to describe what I felt right then.

"Why?" I slowly asked. I had figured that it was the best place to start. I would feel like a jerk if Ichigo turned around to me and said 'I have feelings for someone else' or 'I don't swing that way'. He didn't, and at first, I was glad that he didn't. What he did say, however, felt one-hundred times worse.

"We're just friends. Good friends" Ichigo spoke. I could tell that he was hesitant at first, and truthfully, I couldn't blame him. I had just confessed how I truly felt about him, and with so much sincerity to boot, so much so that subconsciously, I had driven Ichigo into a corner. I hadn't wanted to do that. Not by a long shot.

"I see. Well, excuse me" I said emotionlessly as I stood up, slipped on a jacket and a pair of trainers before I grabbed my keys and left the apartment. I shut the door behind me quietly and waited for what seemed like ages. A part of me told me that Ichigo would open the door, usher me back into the apartment and convince me to listen to him; I ignored it as I took off into the early night. I had lost. I had lost possibly the best thing that had ever happened to me in seventeen years. Nothing else mattered to me. Not anymore. My mind replayed what had just happened time and time again as I ran further away from the apartment, from Ichigo. Nothing else mattered to me at that point. I had lost. Game over.

**I don't own the characters Romeo and Juliet - they're from William Shakespeare's play 'Romeo and Juliet'. I don't mind 'Romeo and Juliet' and contrary to popular belief that the play is of the romance genre, although it has romantic elements, it's actually a tragedy (no surprise with the ending and all). I also used the word 'stallion' to refer to the film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron , which I don't own (It's a good film by the way, and I recommend watching it if you already haven't).**


	15. An Abrupt Wake-Up Call

**Yet another short chapter, but I think it left an impact. I'm not a doctor, but I am aware of what an IV is, and I wanted to mention it in this chapter (Spoiler alert! If anyone has read Fruits Basket, they would know that when Rin (Izusu) was in hospital, she had one attached to her. (I can't remember which chapter it was, but I believe it was some time after Akito had cut her hair short) Moving on, enjoy the chapter!**

**Chapter 15 – An Abrupt Wake-Up Call**

It didn't matter where I was going or what I was planning to do. What mattered was what had just happened. It felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest, but no matter how much I had wanted to go back at try and work something out, my feet wouldn't allow me to. I continued to run like a little kid, into the night. My mind was instantly on overdrive, but at the same time, it was also stuck in the past. Needless to say, I felt trapped, and it was definitely not one of those happy feelings which people got when they reminisced about the past. To say that the feeling was gut-wrenching was definitely an understatement. When I finally did slow down before coming to a complete stop, the feeling still remained. It had gotten to a point where I could have sworn that I had stopped breathing. I looked up at the dark sky; no wispy clouds or bright stars were present, and it somehow looked fitting for how I felt. It felt like there was no more reason to fight what was going to happen to me. A small part of me told me not to give in and that there was still a small glimmer of hope, but right now, the majority of my being felt nothing but emptiness. I heard my feet drag heavily against the concrete pavement when I finally started to walk again; it didn't matter. Right there and then, it didn't matter to me if the soles of my shoes would disintegrate and leave my feet to burn, blister or bleed. It didn't matter to me if it started to rain heavily and I ended up having the worst cold in the history of colds. It didn't matter to me if I remained this way forever, regardless of falling in love or not.

The road seemed empty as I finally reached the end of the pavement. Either that, or I must have still been trapped in the past. I know that what had happened between Ichigo and I had only happened in the space of a couple of minutes, but the memory of it all felt like it had happened easily a century and a half ago. My mind was too preoccupied with what had happened only moments ago when I stepped out into the road, and the more I walked, the more crystal clear it became to me. At first, I had wanted to blame the real reason on how I looked, but I couldn't. Instead, I blamed myself. I blamed every negative attribute that I had. My pride, my stubborn streak, my short temper, I blamed it all. I realised that there was nothing special about me, no redeeming qualities about me. Nothing. I had taken everything that I had had for granted, including Ichigo, and now, I had lost it all. It might not have been raining at that point, but it sure felt like it. It felt like my inside world was breaking apart and that my soul was crying because of it. The feeling of emptiness felt almost like nothing compared to how I felt. I felt a similar emotion to emptiness, but it wasn't quite like that. Emptiness implies that something is missing, but the emotion that I felt didn't quite that heavy. In fact, it felt heavier. The emotion was none other than Nothingness.

A strange sound broke the silence, but it wasn't enough to snap me out of my fixation. Nothing was enough to break me out of my slump. I knew that well, and the strange sound that had broken through the silent atmosphere came closer and closer with each passing second, so did something else. The sound of rubber against the concrete flooring below my feet started to ring eerily through the atmosphere, and for a split second, I could have sworn that someone was behind me. After all, it did sound like someone was trying to catch up to me. I glanced over my shoulder as I froze in the middle of the road; no-one was in sight but the sound of heavy breathing was nearby. It sounded raspy, not to mention close. I just about managed to shrug it off, but when I turned away from the still area, the breathing continued. A voice broke out; it sounded like a scream but what overpowered my senses was the sound of a car's brakes screeching against the road and shortly afterward, the impact of the damage. For a split second, I felt like I was flying. It felt heavier than what I thought it would feel like, and I felt something trickle against my skin as I left the ground, only to then plummet harshly against the cold, unforgiving surface of the road. I felt my body roll once or twice, possibly three times before stopping abruptly as the car drove off in a panic. It was at that point where reality snapped me out of my fixation, and I realised what had happened.

It had been an accident, one of those 'hit-and-run' type of accidents. I didn't see it coming, and no matter how much I wanted to curse at my stupidity, I couldn't. I couldn't move; it felt like I was paralysed, that I had died instantly. I knew that that wasn't the case, but it didn't stop me from feeling like I had. The substance that had trickled against my body was cold and dark in colour when I looked at my hand after placing it over my wound. My eyes widened hysterically as I stared back at the substance that coloured my hand in a grotesque manner. Blood stained my hand, and as I slowly removed it from sight and pressed it against the new wound, the sound of rushed footsteps and heavy breathing came into earshot. I wanted to smile; someone had found me. Someone had witnessed what had just happened and wanted to help me. For possibly the first time in the space of no less than half an hour maximum, I felt almost happy to see someone, stranger or not. I don't remember much after that, but what I do remember was seeing the colour orange come into view, a pair of lips move to form words and waking up in a sterile hospital room with an IV attached to my body.


	16. The Truth Is Revealed

**-cries- I didn't want to have to say goodbye to 'Sho', as he was a great side of Grimmjow to write but I had to for the sake of this chapter. I realise that this particular chapter is darker than the rest, but I can ensure you that it's just for dramatic effect. So, with that being said, enjoy!**

**Chapter 16 – The Truth Is Revealed**

The smell of the sterile hospital room was strong, almost overpowering as my eyes snapped open abruptly. For a moment, I lay still with my back against the mattress of the uncomfortable hospital bed. _How did I get here? What happened? Why do I ache so much?_ It was only when I looked over at the IV that my mind flashed back to what had happened._ I was involved in a car accident. That explains why my body feels like a truck's run over it. What happened before that, though? Do I remember anything? Any tidbit of useful information that could lead to why I'm here now?_ My eyes snapped wider than beforehand when my mind pieced everything together; the events that had happened to me were similar to the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. A small groan slipped past my lips as I realised what had happened. I had confessed to Ichigo, got rejected, left the apartment, became trapped in what had happened and got hit by a car. I wanted to curse at how stupid I had been, but I didn't. Instead, I forced my near-unresponsive body into a sitting position. I felt the needle that was inserted into my arm throb painfully as the IV yanked itself abruptly closer to me. I looked down to where the nearly-dead carnation resided on my forearm before I sighed heavily, emotionlessly. I knew that I had lost the best thing that had ever happened to me, but I still longed to see Ichigo. It did but didn't make sense, and as my back rested uncomfortably against the wrought headboard of the small hospital bed, the unpleasant memory of what had happened to me flooded my mind like a tsunami wave.

I faintly heard two people converse from where I remained fixed in the hospital bed. The room's door was closed but a small window gave me a faint outline of the two people. One of the figures looked to be male, the other a female. I rested my head gently against the headboard; it hurt like hell. The persistent pounding that came from the back of my head, the lead-like weight that my limbs were forced to deal with, not to mention the emptiness that my heart was unwillingly but slowly becoming accustomed to. I waited for someone to knock gently on the door, and no matter how hard I tried to listen for it, I couldn't focus. The pounding that came from the back of my head remained to bombard my thoughts and senses. I was desperate to escape the confinements that the small uncomfortable hospital bed had offered me, but I knew that I wasn't ready to stand, and if I was, I knew that my legs would buckle from underneath me. I slowly brought the arm that wasn't attached to the IV up to my face. I pushed through the pain, and as my fingertips grazed against my cheekbones, it came as no surprise when I felt the scars from the 'curse' still etched into my skin.

What did surprise me was when my fingertips had found new, fresh scars litter my cheeks, my jawline and the corners of my lips. I brought my arm into my line of sight and looked at the nearly-dead carnation tattoo. One petal still remained and looked wrinkled and light brown in colour. _So, it comes to this then, has it? I finally found a love worthwhile but it still slipped from my grasp, and now, it'll never come back_, I thought to myself. My arm dropped heavily to the sheets of the hospital bed that concealed my scarred body from sight when the door opened. I watched as the two figures from before walked into the room slowly. I didn't say anything; I didn't know what I could say. I was exposed to a total stranger. They saw what I looked like, but I didn't care. All I cared about was me wanting to see Ichigo. My mind flashed back to what had happened after the accident. I had seen orange and a pair of lips move to form more than likely panic-induced words.

"Are you Sho by any chance?" the male figure asked slowly. I didn't say anything at first but I soon nodded slowly. It hurt to even do that much. Both of the figures sighed, as if my answer determined what was going to happen to me, and in a sense, it did. "I'm glad to know that. My name is Isshin Kurosaki. Before I continue, how do you feel?" the male figure asked as he made his way over to the IV. I watched as he checked the fluid level of whatever was in the bag that was connected by a small, thin tube that led to the needle inside of my arm.

"Sore" I answered. It was the gospel truth, and I didn't dare myself to say anything else. The man that I recognised as Isshin smiled sincerely. I knew that I had seen that smile somewhere before, and my eyes widened a little more. I had seen Ichigo smile like that before. "Wait, you said that your surname was Kurosaki. Does that mean you're related to Ichigo?" I asked quickly, as if it was a necessity. In a sense, it was. I watched as both figures nodded. "I see" I slowly said and looked down at the sheets that covered my legs. I soon felt the hospital bed dip a little and I forced myself to look at the female figure that sat on the end of the bed.

"He's my brother. He's the one that found and brought you here" the female figure spoke. She had a soft voice, as if she knew what had happened. A part of me wanted to hug her and cry like a little kid as she cradled me like I was a little kid, and if I didn't feel like hell, I would have easily done that. "Would you like me to get him for you?" the girl asked. I would have answered 'no' but my own mouth deceived me and by the time I had realised what had happened, the girl had moved off of the bed and was out of the room. I looked over the older man. He smiled gently and made his way over to a vacant seat near the hospital bed and sat in it.

"What happened to me? The last thing I remember was seeing the colour orange come into view" I asked slowly. I waited for what seemed like hours on end for Isshin's reply.

"You were hit by a car. I don't know what you were doing, but you must have been out of it badly, judging by the scars on your body. Ichigo said that you had this pained look right before your vision blacked out, like you had remembered something painful" Isshin spoke carefully before he looked at me. I remained solely focused on the sheets that covered my lower body from sight.

"I don't remember why I was out of it" I lied. Truth be told, I knew the reason. I wasn't ready to admit it. Not yet. I looked over to Isshin. Again, he smiled. I watched as he stood up from the seat, but as he made his way over to the door, my voice became unbelievably dry when I saw Ichigo stand in the doorway. None of us said anything at first, and I forced myself to look away at the IV, as if it was the most interesting thing I had seen on the face of the planet. I wasn't ready to speak to Ichigo alone; I didn't dare myself to say anything at first. I heard a pair of footsteps soon disappear before I heard a pair come closer to me. They were hesitant at first, and it told me that Ichigo wasn't sure if it was a wise decision to be here or not. I couldn't blame him. If our roles were switched, I would be in the same position as he was.

"Can we talk?" Ichigo asked slowly, hesitantly. I didn't say anything; I didn't know what to say to him. It wasn't surprised to hear Ichigo move closer to where I was, nor was I surprised to hear him take a seat on the foot of the bed. "What happened?" he asked.

"I got hit by a car. That much is obvious" I spat harshly. The words tasted like venom, and the best way to get rid of venom is to eradicate it from the human body as soon as possible. That much is instinct. I would have easily glared at Ichigo if I could, but I knew that if I even looked at him, I would break down. I was already broken; I wasn't ready to be broken some more.

"I mean, what happened to us, Sho?" I didn't respond at first. A tense atmosphere surrounded the pair of us at that point, but what I didn't expect to see was anger burn in Ichigo's eyes as he grabbed a hold of my shirt and pulled me closer to him. I hadn't seen Ichigo angry before, and it had surprised me. It had been enough to reduce my stubbornness to tears, as if it was a little kid.

"What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say 'Hey, I'm sorry for lying to you about saying that I like you. Can we forget about it and just be friends?' Do you want me to say that what I felt towards you was a lie? What do you want me to say, Ichigo?" I snapped. I didn't mean to, and I was expecting Ichigo to punch me in the face and tell me that I was delusional. Instead, he didn't. It came as a shock when Ichigo let go of me and moved away, just a little. I looked at him, confused at first.

"I want you to tell me the truth, Sho. I want to know the real reason as to why we're like this. It's not us at all" Ichigo answered after taking a deep, controlled breath of air. I was stunned by his answer, but it did make me want to smile a little. I couldn't, though. I breathed heavily.

"What's the date today?" I asked slowly, calmly. I had no sense of time. For all I knew, I could have been out of it for an hour or two, maybe longer. Ichigo looked at me blankly at first.

"It's the eleventh. We met about five months ago, on today's date" Ichigo answered solemnly. _I was supposed to graduate from high school today but I'm here_, I thought to myself. _What the hell happened? Last time I checked, things went bad around the ninth, meaning that I've been out of it for about two days._

"I'm happy to know that you remembered when we met" I spoke, lightly at first, as if it was meant to be some uplifting joke. I knew that it wasn't. "A lot had happened before I met you. I took things for granted and used people for my own personal gain. I thought I was happy with the way I lived my life, but it turned out that I wasn't. I wasn't happy with how I had lived my life. People wouldn't look in my direction, and if they did, I knew that they would look at me like I was some kind of repulsive creature. You were the only person who didn't look at me like that. You looked at me like I was human, even when I showed you what I truly looked like. We became friends after that, and the more I got to know you, the more I felt happy with what I had become" I explained.

"Sho, I..." Ichigo begun. I turned my body so that I could get a better look at him. Despite the unbearable pain that coursed throughout my body, I still managed to move, even if it was a little.

"Let me finish. We spent time together, and I felt something that I hadn't felt before. I felt Love. I felt like I had met the one being that I would happily lay down my life for, and no matter how much I tried to hide it, it only hurt. I knew that time was against me, and yet, as I got to know you more and more, I fell more and more in love with you. When I finally plucked up the courage to tell you how I felt towards you, I felt like I had a chance. I felt like I had a chance to be with you, but... well, the rest is known. In all honesty, I don't regret falling for you, Ichigo. The only regret that I have is that I don't have any time left. I wanted to tell you what was going to happen to me, but I didn't think you would believe me if I told you. I'm sorry for keeping it a secret, Ichigo, but I won't apologise for falling in love with you" I explained clearly. Silence overcame us; it felt natural in doing so. I had expected Ichigo to tell me that what I had said didn't make any sense, and I had also expected him to say that we were just friends. The clock that hung on the wall nearby chimed briskly. I had noticed that it was dark outside, and as I forced myself to look up at the clock, I noticed how late it was, how late I was. Midnight had struck and the first chime of the clock had indicated that it was technically a new day. I looked back over to Ichigo, who remained silent.

The scars on my face, new and old began to etch painfully into my skin, and I was almost certain that the tattoo of the number Six had turned a heavy black colour. The tattoo of the now dead carnation burned into my forearm as the last petal fell heavily but also whimsically onto the base of my wrist. I felt my body grow heavier, weaker, and it felt like I had said my final goodbyes to the one person that I truly loved with all of my heart. I didn't feel upset, only relief. I felt relieved in telling Ichigo the truth; he at least deserved to know that much. A small smile found its way to my lips before they moved as I closed my eyes. I was ready to accept whatever came next, even if that meant Death. I didn't hear what I had said to Ichigo; I only heard the sound of the clock chime again and again, until it stopped. I was prepared to feel my heart slow down and come to a complete stop, but all I felt minutes later was a pair of shaky hands grip a tight but fragile hold of my shirt and what felt like water cascade onto my bare, scarred skin after something had been said. _Please don't cry. It's okay, it's gonna be okay. I'm prepared for this, so don't cry, Ichigo. I'll be alright_, I thought quietly to myself. What did surprise me was when I opened my eyes and found out that I was alright. I ran my free hand to my face and felt no scars. I quickly ran my hand up to my forehead and felt something odd against my fingertips, something that I hadn't felt for a long time. Hair. Instinctively, I ran my hand through the hair that had somehow appeared on my head, mainly out of disbelief. I then brought my hand into my line of sight and looked it over. No new cuts adorned my hand and when I looked over at my forearm, I noticed that the dead carnation tattoo had disappeared. I looked down at Ichigo, and noticed that he still a hold of me.

"Ichigo" I spoke gently. I didn't want to scare him, but as he looked up at me, it seemed like I did scare him. I watched as he moved quickly off of the hospital bed and away from me, as if it was out of instinct. I would have done the same if our roles had been switched.

"Grimmjow... what are you...? Where's Sho?" Ichigo asked. Confusion was clearly written all over his face, and to be honest, it was the most natural thing to feel at that point. I wasn't completely over what had happened, but I had to let Ichigo know that 'Sho' was a part of me, just as I was a part of 'Sho'.

"Listen to me when I say this" I began slowly. I breathed to compose myself once, twice, possibly even three times before I spoke. "I am Sho" I didn't believe what I had just said, and I knew that Ichigo wouldn't believe me if I didn't believe myself. I wasn't surprised to see Ichigo back away slowly, nor was I surprised to hear his reply to what I had just told him.

"That doesn't make any sense. Sho and you are two completely different people. What the hell are you even doing here anyway?" Ichigo responded. I sighed.

"I know it doesn't, but you have to believe me. You have to believe that I am Sho. I know that you do" I spoke. I wasn't annoyed, but I wasn't overly happy to know that Ichigo didn't believe me. I waited for Ichigo's response; it never came. Instead, I watched from where I sat on the bed as Ichigo quickly turned on his heels and walked towards the door. At that point, I practically ripped out the cable that connected me to the IV, stood up abruptly, almost to the point where it felt like I would collapse to the floor for standing up so quick, grabbed my phone that lay on the small desk near the bed and dialled the number that I knew off by heart. I then pressed the phone to my ear and tried my best to steady out my breathing. My heartbeat was loud against my chest, but it soared weightlessly like a bird when I saw Ichigo reach into his pocket and pull out the phone.

"Sho? Is that you?" Ichigo asked quickly. I nodded, knowing full-well that Ichigo wouldn't be able to see my answer.

"It's me, Ichigo. Turn around" I said into the phone. I waited for Ichigo to respond, and as he looked over his shoulder, I smiled reassuringly.

"It's really you, isn't it?" Ichigo asked. It sounded like he still didn't believe me, but I knew that he was starting to believe more so than he had done beforehand. It made me happy.

"Yes, it's me, Ichigo" I answered as Ichigo remained solely focused on me. I pulled the phone away from my ear and hung up. I then threw the phone gently onto the hospital bed and slowly walked over to where Ichigo had frozen in place. It wasn't until I stood mere inches away from him that Ichigo pulled his phone away from his ear and looked at it blankly. He then looked at me, straight into my eyes. If I had to pick one thing that I loved about Ichigo, I would have to say that it was his eyes. His eyes had always made me feel warm; they had made me feel wanted. I slowly leant in and captured his lips gently. They were soft, like I remembered and although the kiss was short, it seemed to be the last bit of certainty that Ichigo needed. I pulled away gently; I longed for more but I told myself that it would be best for the pair of us when Ichigo finally believed me.

"It's you. It really is you" Ichigo smiled. At that point, I felt Ichigo grip a hold of my shirt and pull me closer to him before he kissed me passionately. I didn't know how to respond at first; it came as a bit of a shock for Ichigo to take it as well as he had done. With that easing away any uncertainties that I had had, I relaxed and allowed myself to feel elated. I kissed back and pulled Ichigo closer to me. I felt the kiss grow and I felt Ichigo run his fingers through my hair almost lazily as I wrapped my arms around him. For once in my life, I had never felt happier to be alive. Not only had I changed for the better, but I had found the one person that loved me for me, scars and all. Never before had I thought that scars could be beautiful, but now, I believed that whole-heartedly. Scars can be beautiful too.

**I enjoyed writing serious lines for Isshin (I like writing fun lines for him (you can read 'I'm Coming Home' to know what I mean, if you haven't already)****, and I had to add Yuzu into this chapter, just for her caring, cheerful personality. I tried to put Karin into this chapter, and although I like her character, it didn't work, so I apologise.**


	17. Thank You, Ichigo

**So, here it is. The final chapter of 'Scars Can Be Beautiful Too'. I had a lot of fun in writing this fanfic, and in some cases, I'm glad I stuck with it to the end. It's been different to what I usually write, and more than likely, I won't be doing something similar. I hate ending fanfics on odd numbers (unless it's the number 5, then it's cool) but I couldn't drag it out anymore. It's already long enough, in my opinion. With that being said, please enjoy the last chapter of 'Scars Can Be Beautiful Too', and thank you!**

**Chapter 17 – Thank You, Ichigo**

I was discharged from the small clinic three days after that particular event. In all honesty, I was surprised to know that Isshin and the young female, whose name was Yuzu, had taken the news that I was Sho pretty well. What had happened still didn't make one-hundred percent sense to me, but then again, nothing did. I had been apprehensive to know what would happen when I returned to school in order to sit my final exams before I graduated from high school. Surprisingly enough, the teachers didn't bat much of an eyelid, even when I did apologise sincerely to them. It had been relatively quiet when I went into the school grounds to sit my exams. It couldn't have been any later than half three in the afternoon, but despite that, hardly anyone was around. Most of the students had either gone home or to wherever they needed to be. I spent the good part of an hour and a half scribbling down answers to the various questions that stared at me willingly on the paper in front of me, whilst the teacher, a young female of no more than twenty-four, sat on her desk with her legs crossed as she checked her wristwatch for the umpteenth time since I had started working on the paper in front of me. I wasn't nervous; if anything, I was excited. It felt like my promise was about to come true, even if it was taking place a few days later than I had originally planned for it to happen.

"Five, four, three, two and one. Right, pencil down" the female teacher spoke as she practically hopped off of the desk and walked towards where I was sat. I allowed the pencil to slip between my fingertips and I sighed in relief as the pencil bounced once or twice against the wooden desk that I had been confined to.

"Thanks again for taking time out of your schedule" I spoke and stretched like an overgrown cat. I then stood up and moved away from my desk as the female teacher continued to walk over to my desk and picked up the answered piece of paper.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, Grimmjow. Consider yourself lucky that the principal understood what happened to you" the female teacher spoke. I remained quiet as she glossed her eyes quickly over the paper.

"So, does it look like I can graduate?" I slowly asked. A small silence overcame the pair of us before the teacher smiled.

"It'll need to be marked but your answers look promising" the teacher smiled. I sighed heavily in relief, grabbed my belongings and headed for the door. It was only I reached the door and pulled it open when I looked over my shoulder and saw the female teacher smirk. "Grimmjow. It's good to see you again" she spoke. I was stunned, just for a moment or two, but I felt a small smile form. I waved goodbye as I left the room. A comforting silence overcame me as I walked down the corridor and when students called my name, I nodded and gave a serene smile to them. A few even stopped to speak to me, and whilst I was surprised to know that so many people had noticed a change in me. Even a few girls who I had slept with previously had said that I had changed for the better, and when they asked me where I had gone, I told them that I had been on a trip. I made a mental note to thank Ichigo for all that he had done. He had rescued me from myself, and asked for nothing in return. I had originally believed that humans were a selfish race, and in a sense, we were. That was before I had met Ichigo, and now, I couldn't have been happier to have been so wrong. I walked down the corridor and all of a sudden, a happy tune overcame me at that point that I couldn't resist humming along to. It was only when I got to the school gates that I saw Ichigo along with Orihime, Ulquiorra, Renji and Rukia. The small smile that was on my face only grew as I hurried to join the small group.

"You're late" Ichigo teased lightly as soon as he saw me. I didn't say anything at first, but as I watched a calm, happy smile grace his features, it made me feel happy. Then again, Ichigo made me feel happy, no matter what had happened. Ever since the ordeal that the pair of us had gone through whilst I was in the small clinic, the pair of us had become pretty much inseparable, even to the point where we had made it official.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting" I apologised and flashed a serene smile to Ichigo and the others.

"Don't worry about it. We killed time" Renji grinned. In all honesty, after what I had said to Renji regarding Rukia, I was surprised to know that he didn't hold it against me. In fact, he had said that it had been a 'wake-up call' for him. I was also surprised to know how similar the pair of us, mainly in the sense that we didn't exactly think things through. I then noticed Rukia, who had been speaking to Ulquiorra and Orihime. When she finally caught sight of me, she smiled a little. I was a little taken back to know that she didn't glare at me, considering the fact that I had been an inconceivable jerk towards her, both before the 'curse' and whilst the 'curse' was in full effect. I had thanked her for everything that she had done for me privately, and since then, she had been quite a good friend. It never occurred to me that people, no matter if I shared the same views as they did or not, could be so willing to befriend someone else. That small fact had surprised me, but it made me happy nonetheless. I remained fixed in place as Ichigo and the others began to leave the area. I allowed the gentle breeze to surround me warmly before it disappeared away from my body. For possibly the first time in my life, I felt like I had won something more than just a life lesson.

I had gained friends who accepted me regardless of what I did, I had gained the experience to deal with any situation, no matter how important or insignificant it was and I had also gained something that I had never thought I would gain. It made me happy to know that Ichigo felt the same way towards me as I did towards him. Sure, we might have met in the most unlikely, or most likely depending on how you look upon the situation, of places but it didn't matter where we had first met. What mattered most to me was that despite everything that had been thrown at me, I had come out of the wreckage stronger than before and I had someone beside me to treasure forever. Never before had I felt a love so strong until I met Ichigo, and boy was I glad that I had been given that opportunity to love someone as much as I did.

"Hey, Grimm. Is something wrong?" Ichigo asked as he came closer to where I was. I didn't say anything at first; I simply allowed the memories, both the good and the bad, to run freely like fresh, pure water. I looked at him, and when I smiled serenely at Ichigo, my heart soared freely like an eagle.

"It's nothing. Have I ever told you that I was grateful for you for rescuing me?" I responded and leant a little closer. Ichigo didn't say anything at first as a blank expression spread itself across his face. He shook his head and came a little closer. I took a gentle hold of one of his hands in my own. "Well, it's the truth. I'm grateful for everything that you've done for me, Ichigo. You managed to see me for who I really was. You didn't run away when I showed what I looked like. You taught me something that I didn't think I would ever learn. Thank you and I love you" I spoke truthfully before I captured his lips in a gentle but passionate kiss. I knew that the others were probably watching, but it didn't matter if they were or not. What mattered right there and then, was that I had been so fortunate to have Ichigo by my side. Not just for now, but hopefully, for forever. Sometimes, things in Life don't go to plan. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst. This was definitely something that I hadn't expected to happen to me in my wildest dreams, but it was definitely something that had changed me for the better. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. Despite everything that had happened to me over the space of about five months, I would take them. I would take the good memories, and the bad, and I would pile on the years. I knew that with Ichigo by my side, anything was possible. I truly believed that.


End file.
